Marcus Braddock previews tomorrow's game against MK Dons
After a two week break, Shrewsbury Town are back in action this snowy weekend with Buckinghamshire's Stadium:MK the destination. Milton Keynes haven't had the start to the season they would have hoped for and currently find themselves in 16th position in League One. A glance at their results this season shows ten wins but four of those have been in cup games and without those their position makes more sense. The same could be said about our own recent form of course, take away our cup wins and we've won once in four games. MK are winless over the same period with their last league win occuring on November 11th against Fleetwood. Of their six wins in League One this season, three have been at home and three have been in away games. Draws feature as the most common result at Stadium:MK, 50% of their home games have been draws, the only team with a higher percentage of home draws is Walsall but only because they've played one game less at home.
Top Scorers (cup goals in brackets)
Gboly Ariyibi 3(4)
Kieran Agard 3(2)
Chuks Aneke 3(1)
Ed Upson 3(1)
Aiden Nesbitt 2(2)
All of MK's home league wins this season have been by a margin of one goal, 1-0 against Gillingham, 1-0 against Fleetwood and 3-2 against Rochdale and with all the draws it's clear that games at Stadium:MK are often tight affairs. Their goals for and against at home tell a similar story, 13 scored and 14 conceded suggests they can hold teams at home.
Goal Distribution
The first half is the most vulnerable time for the home team if their goals conceded is anything to go by. In the first fifteen minutes of first halves at home this season they've conceded four times, they also conceded four in the last fifteen minutes of the first half of games. 71% of the goals they have conceded at home this season have occurred in the first half. The second half is much better entertainment for the home fans with three goals scored in the opening fifteen minutes and four goals scored in the final fifteen minutes of games at Stadium MK.
Clean Sheets
3 at home and 3 away.
Assists
Ed Upson 4
Chuks Aneke 2
Scott Golbourne 2
Aaron Tshibola 2
Squad News
Manager Robbie Neilson will be without midfielder Ousseynou Cisse and striker Osman Sow.
Jon Nolan has been rated as 50/50 for the trip to Stadium MK.
Summary
Another game that may look simple on paper given our season and Milton Keynes' but it's far from it in reality. I think they are a better team than their position suggests and with so many draws at home, it would have only taken the odd goal or two to see them sitting in a more comfortable position. We need to be that forceful, tight, defensive, unit that turns attack into defence in an instant that we've seen so often this season, especially during that difficult first half for the home side. We all know what we are capable of.
COYB!!!