MK Dons ended up in the playoffs after finishing third in the 2021/22 League One season. The Dons were only a point short of automatic promotion to the Championship, their second best league finish of all time.
A 2-1 aggregate defeat in the semi-final would follow, which left such a talented side to dream what could have been. How have this group of players fared since that impressive season?
Cumming was on loan at the Dons for half of the 21/22 season and was one of their standout performers, earning himself another loan in the following season.
A successful loan to Oxford United followed as they were promoted to the Championship.
Cumming joined Oxford on a free transfer from parent club Chelsea and helped the yellows achieve Championship safety in the 2024/25 season.
He will be back in League One next season as the U’s finished 22nd and were relegated.
On loan from Premier League club Aston Villa, the full back had various loan spells at Championship clubs.
Kesler-Hayden gained experience at Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End, adjusting well to the higher quality Championship.
He was bought by Coventry City for €4 million ahead of the 2025/26 season.
He featured 22 times for the Sky Blues as they won the Championship and will hope to playing Premier League Football next season.
O’Hora became a fan favourite at Stadium MK due to his reliability and commitment. He stayed at the Dons for two more seasons, being a part of another failed playoff campaign.
The Irishman reached 177 appearances for the Dons before joining Scottish Premiership side Hibernian where he has fit in well in making 73 appearances in just under two years.
Darling was a huge presence in the Dons backline, showing his ability to play a higher level of football.
He was signed by former Dons manager Russell Martin at Swansea City where he reached 112 appearances.
He went on to join Norwich City who experienced a complete resurgence under Philippe Clement.
MK Dons legend Dean Lewington had three more seasons at the Dons before his retirement at the end of the 2024/25 season.
He won the Sir Tom Finney Award in April 2026 to commemorate a remarkable career.
Lewington holds the record for most appearances for a single club in EFL history, making 917 appearances for the Dons.
Harvie left Stadium MK after two more seasons to join local rivals Wycombe Wanderers.
After leaving to play in a higher division he will now play against his old club in League One after the Dons promotion.
Corbeanu featured 17 times for the Dons during his half season loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The talented winger had loan spells across Europe at Blackpool, Arminia Bielefeld and Grasshopper before permanently signing for Granada in Spain.
The 23-year-old was bought by Toronto FC in his native Canada after a successful loan spell.
Boateng signed for Mansfield Town on a free transfer after the 2021/22 season where he went on to make 127 appearances for the Stags.
He featured for Mansfield in a 4-1 win over the Dons in the 23/24 league two season, resigning his former club to the playoffs.
The tenacious midfielder has recently helped York City gain promotion back to the EFL in dramatic circumstances scoring a 90+13′ equaliser to send them up.
However a video of Boateng appearing to punch a Rochdale fan at the end of their high stakes clash may land him in some trouble.
Coventry returned to parent club West Ham United after his half season loan before joining Rotherham United on loan in the 2022/23 season.
He signed for Charlton Athletic in January 2024 for over €1 million. He has since established himself as a regular Championship footballer for Nathan Jones’ side.
Parrott scored the only goal of the night as the Dons bowed out in the Playoffs.
After loans at Preston and Excelsior in the Netherlands, he signed for AZ Alkmaar before the 2024/25 season where he has scored an impressive 50 goals in 93 games.
Recently, Parrott scored a hat trick against Hungary in a World Cup Qualifying Game with his 90+6′ winner sent Ireland into the World Cup playoff final.
Twine registered an unbelievable 33 goal involvements in the 21/22 season for MK Dons earning him a move to Burnley for just under €3 million.
The 25-year-old failed to find his footing and signed for Bristol City for almost €4 million after a loan at Hull City.
He has made 85 appearances for the Robins in just under two years, featuring against MK Dons in an EFL Cup win in August.
Wickham failed to make a real impact at Stadium MK, featuring just 15 times after joining as a January free transfer.
He then went on to play for Forest Green Rovers, Cardiff City and Charlton after departing before joining current club Dubai City FC in the United Arab Emirates.
Kemp went on loan to Hartlepool United and Swindon Town after the 2021/22 season, seeming to fit in everywhere other than Milton Keynes.
He signed for Stevenage before the 2024/25 season and recently helped them finish sixth in League One where he will feature in the playoffs as his team face Stockport County.
The fullback stayed for one more season at The Dons, being part of the side that were relegated to League Two.
Watson was picked up by Charlton on a free transfer and helped them achieve promotion to the Championship through the playoffs.
He now plays for Barnsley, making 44 appearances this season as the Tykes finished 15th in League One.
