MK Dons fell to a 1-0 away to defeat against Salford City, in a game low in both excitement and chances.
The Dons failed to create anything noteworthy as Matt Butcher struck in the 66th minute to give the Ammies the lead and all three points.
Craig MacGillivray – 6
He was not called into action very often with both sides lacking creativity, but produced a few impressive saves.
While not at fault for the goal, his distribution, especially from goal kicks was very poor.
Luke Offord – 3
Unfortunately just wasn’t at it all day. The entire team lacked aggression and Offord was one of the biggest culprits.
Failed to win the ball anywhere near as often as usual, allowing Salford to play freely around the Dons penalty box.
A very silly red card late on all but confirmed the game was lost.
Curtis Nelson – 7
Nelson was dominant in the air and very solid as usual. Covered for his teammates errors multiple times.
Perhaps the only Dons player who deserved something from that game. Brilliant aggressive defending as always.
Marvin Ekpiteta – 5
An uncharacteristically shaky performance from Ekpiteta today. He looked nervous in possession and repeatedly delivered wayward long balls.
However he was let down by his midfield, often leaving him on his own at the back, leading to some nervy sequences.
Gethin Jones – 4
Was neither a threat going forward, nor a reliable disruptor when defending.
He was repeatedly out of position when Salford came forward, something that might be forgiven had he shown any sparks in attack.
Left his defensive teammates to cover for him on too many occasions.
Jon Mellish – 3
Poor both in possession and out of it. His number of inaccurate long balls was poor enough but even his short passing wasn’t up to scratch.
A bad day for Mellish all round, failing to win the ball back repeatedly. Paul Warne wants his wing backs to progress up the pitch and help out the attack but Mellish was the antithesis of this tactic today.
Dan Crowley – 4
Let the game completely pass him by, making no real impact before being replaced just before the hour mark.
Another example of misplaced passing, hindering the attacking play, while also failing to help out defensively.
Liam Kelly – 6
One of the Dons brighter sparks on a bad day. His first half performance was brilliant, chasing down players to win the ball back.
His energy and quality slightly waned in the second 45, however he still made a positive impact, playing deeper in midfield and forcing Salford attacks out wide.
Alex Gilbey – 4
Similarly to Mellish, Gilbey was just too passive all day. Allowing the game to pass him by as Salford players seemingly wanted it more.
As most other players, he offered nothing in either department and will be glad to put the memory of this game behind him.
Ben Wiles – 3
Absent for much of the game. Forced to come deeper to receive the ball, he was inaccurate and uninspired once receiving it.
When not given space and time, Wiles can go missing in a game, being completely marked out of it. Definitely not his finest hour since joining in January.
Aaron Collins – 5
Didn’t stop moving for all 78 minutes he was on the pitch for. He put in a commendable effort, really showing his desire to try and win the game.
Unfortunately, his service was just not there. With no real positive and creative passes made, Collins was forced to drop deeper and deeper, affecting his ability to get into goalscoring positions.
Jack Sanders – 5
Came on for Crowley to prevent the MK Dons midfield being completely bypassed, as had been the case up to then.
Made a few important clearances but was still beaten out wide a few times.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 5
Thrown on for some pace at the top of the pitch but faced the same problems as Collins.
He is not a particularly physical player so really struggled when dropping deep to find the ball.
A talented player but was also without service from his midfield.
Nathanial M̩ndez-Laing Р5
His first minutes for the club since picking up an injury against Cambridge in December.
Showed a bit more life than some of his teammates but understandably rusty in his first game in 3 months.
Scott Hogan – 4
Unfortunately for Hogan, he is not a well liked figure amongst the Dons fanbase.
Therefore, sending him on to save the game when the fans are already frustrated was almost like throwing him to the wolves.
Showed some aggression but overall had no impact.
Aaron Nemane – 6
An impact player chucked on with three minutes to go for some fresh legs.
Not given long enough to make a difference.
The Dons will find comfort in the fact that three other promotion rivals dropped points today but will not be so luck every week.
It was a poor performance and the fans left feeling very discontent but it’s not the end of the world as there’s still six games to go.
The Dons will face strugglers Barrow at Stadium MK on Good Friday in their next match. Away to Oldham Athletic follows, before a top of the table clash with leaders Bromley.
