On My Way Back

[I BELIEVE]

The game was there for the taking and imo 2 points dropped.

1st half despite going into HT leading, I thought was a poor performance, we did not keep the ball well and did not use it well going forward and it was in general very sloppy. Williams and Flint looked fairly solid and Elliot was very busy in midfield, Reid looked tidy but a bit raw. Baldock took his goal excellently to end a poor half of football in general.

2nd was brilliant entertainment but so so frustrating. We started slow and conceded a sloppy goal starting from a foul throw and allowed the mk dons players too much time. Dons livened up and the game became stretched and Baldock latched onto a long Fielding clearence and his goal was sublime. But again we sat back and allowed the equaliser, again too might time and space. Could have gone either way from there baldock has an excellent chance open goal but couldn't control, bryan had a dead certain penalty waved away but Fielding made a world class save right at the end to save a point. City fans were okay but the stadium killed the atmosphere, nice but too big and souless.

Ratings:

Fielding - 7

Maloney - 5

Flint - 6

Williams - 6

Cunningham - 6

Elliot - 7

Reid - 6

Wagstaff - 6

Bryan - 7

JET - 6

Baldock - 8

Subs-

Wynter - 5

Pack and Harewood no time to impact

[djb6162]

The game was there for the taking and imo 2 points dropped.

1st half despite going into HT leading, I thought was a poor performance, we did not keep the ball well and did not use it well going forward and it was in general very sloppy. Williams and Flint looked fairly solid and Elliot was very busy in midfield, Reid looked tidy but a bit raw. Baldock took his goal excellently to end a poor half of football in general.

2nd was brilliant entertainment but so so frustrating. We started slow and conceded a sloppy goal starting from a foul throw and allowed the mk dons players too much time. Dons livened up and the game became stretched and Baldock latched onto a long Fielding clearence and his goal was sublime. But again we sat back and allowed the equaliser, again too might time and space. Could have gone either way from there baldock has an excellent chance open goal but couldn't control, bryan had a dead certain penalty waved away but Fielding made a world class save right at the end to save a point. City fans were okay but the stadium killed the atmosphere, nice but too big and souless.

Ratings:

Fielding - 7

Maloney - 5

Flint - 6

Williams - 6

Cunningham - 6

Elliot - 7

Reid - 6

Wagstaff - 6

Bryan - 7

JET - 6

Baldock - 8

Subs-

Wynter - 5

Pack and Harewood no time to impact

Disagree on your assessment of Reid

Also thought bringing on winter for him was a negative move

[djb6162]

Disagree on your assessment of Reid

Also thought bringing on winter for him was a negative move

Apologies

Wynter

Spell check !

[REBS14]

The game was there for the taking and imo 2 points dropped.

1st half despite going into HT leading, I thought was a poor performance, we did not keep the ball well and did not use it well going forward and it was in general very sloppy. Williams and Flint looked fairly solid and Elliot was very busy in midfield, Reid looked tidy but a bit raw. Baldock took his goal excellently to end a poor half of football in general.

2nd was brilliant entertainment but so so frustrating. We started slow and conceded a sloppy goal starting from a foul throw and allowed the mk dons players too much time. Dons livened up and the game became stretched and Baldock latched onto a long Fielding clearence and his goal was sublime. But again we sat back and allowed the equaliser, again too might time and space. Could have gone either way from there baldock has an excellent chance open goal but couldn't control, bryan had a dead certain penalty waved away but Fielding made a world class save right at the end to save a point. City fans were okay but the stadium killed the atmosphere, nice but too big and souless.

Ratings:

Fielding - 7

Maloney - 5

Flint - 6

Williams - 6

Cunningham - 6

Elliot - 7

Reid - 6

Wagstaff - 6

Bryan - 7

JET - 6

Baldock - 8

Subs-

Wynter - 5

Pack and Harewood no time to impact

Excellent, thanks - always like to get a birds eye view from someone who was there - radio does not tell the whole story.

AB also said it was a 100% penalty, is it me or has every ref we have had so far been poor.

[cityexile]

Id edge Reid to a 7 and Wagstaff to a 5. Did not have loads to do, might also give the benefit of the doubt to Fielding and give an 8 - 1 assist that was more than just a welly downfield, and saved a point at the end. Would not argue with the summary.

[cityexile]

An MK based report - not that bad considering that. "had a penalty appeal each waved away' is however stretching it - ours vwas stonewall.

http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/mk-dons/dons-2-2-bristol-city-dons-battle-back-twice-for-a-point-1-5423776

[BCFC96]

Reid was our standout player, elliot gave the ball away a lot and passed poorly

[cityexile]

Rocked up, flashed my ticket at the bar code reader, in, easy as pie.

Stadium just to big for them - wide open spaces made it feel like a reserve match sometimes!

[BanburyRed]

Fielding made a great save onto the post from a free kick in the dying minutes, saved us a point - the booing for him at the final whistle unfortunate but he was time wasting, hanging onto the ball after regulation saves, staring into the grass like David Bellamy revising for his botany exams!

Impressed with Reid & Bryan, neither looked out of place despite their ages, both with generous applause when subbed.

No coincedence that both MK goals from their left, too sloppy with possession and closing down. In fairness to them they passed us to death at times but official stats show 50:50 possession - just goes to show it's not how much you have it but more what you do with it that counts.....

JET a little static at times and can look lethargic, a passenger for much of the 2nd half, disappointing.

Baldock lively and lots of movement, just needs more support from midfield and a partner up front who's going second guess him. And Fielding's incessant kicking from hand to him has to stop - he's up against big un's in this league and he's better than that.

Saying that, also impressed with Flint (who's bound to win the 'most headers in a season' competition, including the 'lowest header'...!) and Williams was solid.

MK will play worse and win many more games this season, we need time and patience to gel together.

Anyone else notice the difference in the manager's behaviour on the touchline? KR always shouting and cajoling his MK team forward, S O'D seemingly impassive and considered.....?

Just some observations from the day. COYR!

[Who8MySteak]

I enjoyed my night/day at the mk stadium, the facilities are super and is a very welcoming club. I thought Reid was good today and deserves a 7, I'm a little worried about Maloney as he doesn't seem to be improving. I might be totally wrong but I don't know what he offers!? I thought this was JET's worse game, had a few good runs but was at fault for their second.

Twice their goals came through the middle of our midfield as mk dons players ran into open spaces, I like Elliott as he is a workhorse but maybe his time is nearing a end as a starter in the 1stXI.

All in all a good point but frustrating to concede another 2 goals.....

[Uncle Albert]

Fielding made a great save onto the post from a free kick in the dying minutes, saved us a point - the booing for him at the final whistle unfortunate but he was time wasting, hanging onto the ball after regulation saves, staring into the grass like David Bellamy revising for his botany exams!

Impressed with Reid & Bryan, neither looked out of place despite their ages, both with generous applause when subbed.

No coincedence that both MK goals from their left, too sloppy with possession and closing down. In fairness to them they passed us to death at times but official stats show 50:50 possession - just goes to show it's not how much you have it but more what you do with it that counts.....

JET a little static at times and can look lethargic, a passenger for much of the 2nd half, disappointing.

Baldock lively and lots of movement, just needs more support from midfield and a partner up front who's going second guess him. And Fielding's incessant kicking from hand to him has to stop - he's up against big un's in this league and he's better than that.

Saying that, also impressed with Flint (who's bound to win the 'most headers in a season' competition, including the 'lowest header'...!) and Williams was solid.

MK will play worse and win many more games this season, we need time and patience to gel together.

Anyone else notice the difference in the manager's behaviour on the touchline? KR always shouting and cajoling his MK team forward, S O'D seemingly impassive and considered.....?

Just some observations from the day. COYR!

Agree with a lot of this.

I was really, really disappointed with JET today. He showed his bad side today - looked lazy, lethargic and all round not too interested. Baldock was top class - worked his balls off, and had to make up for JET's lack of effort today. Took his goals fantastically, could not have asked for more from him; shame he wasn't able to control the ball to slot into an empty net. That being said, when JET has the ball at his feet, lord knows what he's going to do; a fantastic cross one minute, a shot high, wide and into the crowd the next. He was also in our half too much when he should have been up top supporting Sammy B.

Thought Flint looked solid and was pleased with Williams; he looked comfortable on the ball which was good to see.

Cunningham had a much improved game, and I thought Maloney looked solid enough, albeit not spectacular - one particularly good piece of defending where he made his man run all the way back to their goal line when he had the ball.

Wagstaff works hard, but has a serious lack of end product - gave the ball away a few times as well. The two decent balls that he did put into the box, no one (and when I say no one, I mean JET) was there to stick it in the back of the net.

Bryan worked very hard, as did Reid - although most of their efforts, sadly came to nothing. Bryan was denied a stonewall penalty - but, I guess, that's the standard of refereeing we're going to have to put up with this season.

Elliott had a very good first half and in fact, I thought we looked very comfortable in the first half, but the second half he died away, and left gapping holes in the middle of midfield.

Wynter came on for Reid but I thought he should have probably come on for Elliott - that being said, when he came on he looked lost, and not up to the standard he has proved he can play to in the previous three matches.

I also have to question why SO'D didn't bring on Pack - but more importantly - Harewood, earlier. JET looked shot to bits and Harewood was ready to come on, only to be told to sit back down again, and brought on with one minute left ... baffling decision. What impact was he meant to have then? Except to waste time..

Finally, a few words on Fielding - he is proving to be a very good shot stopper, made a couple of top class saves. However, his distribution is questionable - he found touch on numerous occasions, and why oh why does he insist on kicking the ball without taking a touch?!? Serious question! He kicks the ball a mile anyway. He also slows up play so much, I liked how quickly Heaton distributed the ball, but Frankie waits until the entire box is clear and both teams are facing up to him. I understand why people were getting frustrated with him time wasting at the end, quite negative and we should have been looking to win it; that being said, he'd obviously been instructed to do so, and absolutely no need for the booing.

On the ground: awesome facilities - easy to get to, park, get in, and get served; but the stadium is far too big for their tiny support and that means all atmosphere is leaked out of the stadium. A soulless bowl springs to mind.

Overall, an OK day out. Positives: Baldock especially, Reid, Bryan, Williams, Fielding's shot-stopping and picking up a point. Negatives: leaking goals, lack of presence in midfield and the ability to hold on to a lead; as well as losing two points (I would have settled for a point before the match, but after taking the lead twice, we should have won).

Onwards and upwards! As SOD says, a young team in transition! Exciting times ahead!

[beaverface]

Stadium MK had the best stadium seats Ive ever sat in also.

[CiderJar]

Rocked up, flashed my ticket at the bar code reader, in, easy as pie.

Stadium just to big for them - wide open spaces made it feel like a reserve match sometimes!

It felt like a cricket match. Terrible advert for large modern stadia. The bowl beneath the entrance concourse looks good as you enter the ground and is pretty much as I would expect Ashton Vale to look, if that was anything more than a pipe dream now. The originality of Ashton Vale is what is above that lower bowl. In MK's case that is empty concrete awaiting their advance to bigger and better things. Their team might climb to the dizzy heights but I can't see Milton Keynes ever being a footballing city on todays evidence. Four nice goals to witness today though. Plenty of encouragement still there for the rest of the season. Bobby Reids part in our first goal was immense. And Baldock was given a great reception by the MK fans who no doubt have had no opportunity to say goodbye to a hero.

[cityexile]

Stadium MK had the best stadium seats Ive ever sat in also.

Actually, they were very good. Was I the only one that got annoyed by their scoreboard however. During play, surely you just need, well, the score, and the time is a bonus. Messages flashing up were just plain distracting.

[Port Said Red]

The assessment of JET seems to match what was said on the radio. It can't be a coincidence that this was the first time he had been used as an out and out striker rather than a link man.

[Fodbarmyarmy]

The assessment of JET seems to match what was said on the radio. It can't be a coincidence that this was the first time he had been used as an out and out striker rather than a link man.

Some very level reports and comments for a change .... not one sarky comment or abusive reply...is this OTIB?

I think you are right re JET,,, looks like the firt time he was given a "job" to do rather than a free role ...the young midfield shows promise, but conceded goals too easy down our right side IMO....Maloney issue ?

Loved the whole day - had a right larf up to padd and across to Euston then on to MK... which if you aint been there, always reminds me of a purpose built eastern european city at height of communism .... just needs the massive Lennin statue outside the railway station.... weird place as there never seems to be anyone around......

The ground impressed me, as did the welcoming staff and stewards / police etc...... taxi service was A+,,,,,text me to confirm booking then text to say car was dispatched and then again to tell me it was at the pick up point...its the small things that count...take a note BCFC

The seats were the best I have ever sat on at a stadium...football or otherwise....im over 6ft tall and had plenty of leg room plus cider available at HT albeit cans of Bow......It would not surprise me if they got in just for us carrot crunchers

A good away point against a side that plays tidy football..... I bet they are fuming about conceding from the whoosh...:laugh:

[RedZoneJim]

Wynter came on for Reid but I thought he should have probably come on for Elliott - that being said, when he came on he looked lost, and not up to the standard he has proved he can play to in the previous three matches.

I also have to question why SO'D didn't bring on Pack - but more importantly - Harewood, earlier. JET looked shot to bits and Harewood was ready to come on, only to be told to sit back down again, and brought on with one minute left ... baffling decision. What impact was he meant to have then? Except to waste time..

Finally, a few words on Fielding - he is proving to be a very good shot stopper, made a couple of top class saves. However, his distribution is questionable - he found touch on numerous occasions, and why oh why does he insist on kicking the ball without taking a touch?!? Serious question! He kicks the ball a mile anyway. He also slows up play so much, I liked how quickly Heaton distributed the ball, but Frankie waits until the entire box is clear and both teams are facing up to him. I understand why people were getting frustrated with him time wasting at the end, quite negative and we should have been looking to win it; that being said, he'd obviously been instructed to do so, and absolutely no need for the booing.

Think the Elliott decision was probably down to Marv being a decent header to have in the box at corners at both ends and however knackered JET's looking I think I'd always be hesitant to take him off because he is the only player we've got that can create something out of nothing. As for Fielding's time wasting if in that last 5 minutes he'd been in a rush to get rid of the ball and it had led to them getting possession that led to a goal he'd be getting hammered on here for not time wasting. I'm pleased he did the professional thing. We needed something from the game yesterday and I've have taken a point before kick off, the biggest frustration being we led twice. Sometimes you've just got to hold on to what you've got and the last five minutes yesterday was not a time to start taking risks to win.

[CiderJar]

Actually, they were very good. Was I the only one that got annoyed by their scoreboard however. During play, surely you just need, well, the score, and the time is a bonus. Messages flashing up were just plain distracting.

I agree with this - every time the ball went out of play, which is when you look at the scoreboard, they were showing adverts for such delights as Gullivers World theme park. They didn't even have the score and time in the corner. Annoying. The seats were so comfy, I nearly dozed off a couple of times.