Newport County return to Rodney Parade for their first home game in over a month as they face MK Dons tomorrow afternoon (3pm).
After a tough run of away matches, the Exiles will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak to five games and secure their first win since October.
Pre-Match Views
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s home game, Nelson Jardim said: “It means a lot to be back home tomorrow. For a club like us, home games are massive in achieving our objectives.
“The support from the fans at Rodney Parade has been invaluable, giving us energy and positivity. It’s a real boost for the players.
“Home games are vital. Those away points are good, but winning at home is key, and that’s what we’ll aim for.”
Opposition Form
Our visitors, MK Dons , will be looking to gain promotion to League One this season after a disappointing 8-1 aggregate loss to Crawley in the League Two play-off semi-final. The Dons sit in 8th place (30 points), just one point and place outside of the play off spots.
Manager of the Dons, Scott Lindsay, has got his team firing in front of goals with the third highest goals per game (1.7), the most shots on target per match (5.2) and also the second most big chances created (46). However, the Dons have struggled in defence this season as they have the joint second least clean sheets (3).
A player in fine form for the Dons is their captain and ex Newport County loanee, Alex Gilbey. The attacking midfielder has scored nine goals so far this season and is their top scorer so far this season.
Gilbey was just awarded the Sky Bet League Two player of the month after impressing in the month of November. With six goals in five matches from midfield it’s clear to see why Gilbey won the accolade.
Aaron Nemane is another player who has stood out for MK, with the right-wing-back registering the most assists in the league (7). Nemane has also created the second joint most big chances created in the division (9).
Shared Shirts
One notable player who has played for both Newport County and MK Dons is Cameron Norman. Norman made over 100 appearances for Newport and became a fan favourite for his strong performances at Rodney Parade even winning back to back player of the year’s for 21/22 and 22/23.
He left South Wales in June 2023, being signed by Graham Alexander at MK Dons shortly after. The right back made 43 appearances in Milton Keynes before signing for Tranmere Rovers in the most recent transfer window.
Read more about players who have played for the Dons and the Exiles HERE.
Head-to-Head
Newport have only played MK Dons seven times with the first game between the sides coming in 2016. The first game in this fixture was a Newport County 2-3 league cup loss to the Dons. In fact the Exiles have only won once in this fixture (1 win, 5 losses and 1 draw). This win came in an emphatic 3-0 victory in the Football League Trophy in January of 2020.
A Memorable Encounter
As mentioned previously, Newport County have only won once in this fixture with a 3-0 home victory coming in the Football League Trophy. A dominant first half performance by the Amber Army was enough to get all three points with three goals coming within 35 minutes.
The game started quickly for the Exiles with striker, Tristan Abrahams, tapping home to an empty net in four minutes. Twenty minutes later Irish talisman, Padraig Amond smashed home an emphatic free kick from just outside the box. Then after a great delivery from Josh Sheehan, the ball was turned into the net by MK Dons defender, Matthew Sorinola.
Key Facts
- Newport County have failed to win any of their four Football League games against MK Dons (D1 L3), failing to score a single goal during that time.
- MK Dons are unbeaten across their last nine league games against sides from Wales (W6 D3), only conceding more than one goal in one of those matches.
- Newport have both attempted the fewest shots on target (53) and fewest overall shots (168) in League Two this season.
- This season in League Two, MK Dons are the only team yet to keep a clean sheet during an away match.