Team News
Barnsley are definitely without full back Mason Holgate who starts a three match ban for his red card at Doncaster, and it could leave The Reds with a defensive crisis.
Both Peter Ramage (thigh) and Martin Cranie (knee) have missed the last one and four matches respectively and face late fitness test in the morning.
So too does loanee midfielder Ben Pearson who missed the defeat at the Keepmoat with an ankle problem.
Josh Scowen could make his debut after being an unused substitute last Saturday.
Last time out - Barnsley Team:
Ross Turnbull
Mason Holgate
Lewin Nyatanga
Jean-Yves Mvoto
George Smith
Milan Lalkovic
Conor Hourihane
Luke Berry
Dale Jennings
Alex Kiwomya
George Waring
Head to Head
Last Six MK Dons v Barnsley results:
13/9/14 Barnsley (Conor Hourihane 82, 87, Devante Cole 90) 3-5 MK Dons (Benik Afobe 33, Samir Carruthers 45, Dele Alli 52, Will Grigg 71, Ben Reeves 79)
16/2/13 MK Dons (Dean Bowditch 61) 1-3 Barnsley (Chris Dagnall 3, 90, Marlon Harewood 19) (FA Cup
19/9/06 Barnsley (Michael McIndoe 66) 1-2 MK Dons (Aaron Wilbraham 28, 90) (League Cup)
21/1/06 Barnsley (Marc Richards 77, Bobby Hassell 79) 2-0 MK Dons (League One)
17/9/05 MK Dons 0-0 Barnsley (League One)
19/3/05 Barnsley (Daniel Nardiello 45) 1-1 MK Dons (Michel Pensee-Billong 55) (League One)
Overall Record:
MK Dons Wins: 2
Barnsley Wins: 2
Draws: 3
MK Dons Goals: 10
Barnsley Goals: 11
At MK Dons:
MK Dons Wins: 0
Barnsley Wins: 1
Draws: 2
MK Dons Goals: 2
Barnsley Goals: 4
First Met In League: MK Dons (Izale McLeod 76) 1-1 Barnsley (Paul Reid 22), Saturday 7th August 2004. (League One)
Biggest Win: MK Dons (Dean Bowditch 61) 1-3 Barnsley (Chris Dagnall 3, 90, Marlon Harewood 19), Saturday 16th February 2013 (FA Cup)
Biggest Defeat: Barnsley (Conor Hourihane 82, 87, Devante Cole 90) 3-5 MK Dons (Benik Afobe 33, Samir Carruthers 45, Dele Alli 52, Will Grigg 71, Ben Reeves 79), Saturday 13th September 2014. (League One)
Last Home Win: Barnsley (Marc Richards 77, Bobby Hassell 79) 2-0 MK Dons, Saturday 21st January 2006. (League One)
Last Away Win: MK Dons (Dean Bowditch 61) 1-3 Barnsley (Chris Dagnall 3, 90, Marlon Harewood 19), Saturday 16th February 2013 (FA Cup)
Last Home Draw: Barnsley (Daniel Nardiello 45) 1-1 MK Dons (Michel Pensee-Billong 55), Saturday 19th March 2005. (League One)
Last Away Draw: MK Dons 0-0 Barnsley, Saturday 17th September 2005. (League One)
Last Home Defeat: Barnsley (Conor Hourihane 82, 87, Devante Cole 90) 3-5 MK Dons (Benik Afobe 33, Samir Carruthers 45, Dele Alli 52, Will Grigg 71, Ben Reeves 79), Saturday 13th September 2014. (League One)
Last Away Defeat: N/A
Last Away Meeting:
Saturday 16th February 2013.
MK Dons 1 3 Barnsley
Bowditch 61 Dagnall 3, 90
Harewood 19
MK Dons:
David Martin, Jon Otsemobor, Dean Lewington, Gary MacKenzie, Shaun Williams, Darren Potter, Alan Smith (sent off 90), Daniel Powell, Ryan Harley (Adam Chicksen 46), Luke Chadwick, Dean Bowditch (Chris Lines 67)
Unused substitutes:
Matthias Doumbe, Tom Flanagan, Brendan Galloway, Dele Alli, Giorgio Rasulo.
Manager: Karl Robinson.
Barnsley:
Luke Steele, Bobby Hassell (Rory Delap 70), Scott Golbourne, Scott Wiseman, Martin Cranie, Tom Kennedy, David Perkins, Jacob Mellis, Kelvin Etuhu (Jim O’Brien 57), Chris Dagnall, Marlon Harewood (Jason Scotland 46)
Unused substitutes:
Ben Alnwick, Stephen Foster, Tomasz Cywka, Danny Rose.
Manager: David Flitcroft.
Still at respective clubs:
MK Dons: 8 (Martin, Lewington, Potter, Powell, Bowditch, Flanagan-on loan at Plymouth, Alli, Rasulo)
Barnsley: 1 (Cranie)
Number of managers since this game (including caretakers):
MK Dons: 0- Karl Robinson has been in charge since May 2010.
Barnsley: 2- (Micky Mellon, Danny Wilson)
This Season:
Last six 2014-2015 results:
MK Dons:
17/1/15 MK Dons (Carl Baker 67) 1-0 Sheffield United (League One)
10/1/15 Crawley 2-2 MK Dons (Will Grigg 76, Dele Alli 90) (League One)
2/1/15 MK Dons 0-1 Chesterfield (FA Cup)
28/12/14 MK Dons 0-3 Walsall (League One)
26/12/14 Notts County 0-1 MK Dons (Daniel Powell 31) (League One)
20/12/14 MK Dons (Will Grigg 17,49, Dean Bowditch 43, Darren Potter 51, Dele Alli 77, Benik Afobe 84, Carl Baker 90) 7-0 Oldham (League One)
W: 3 D: 1 L: 2 F: 11 A: 6 GD: +5 Points: 10
Barnsley:
17/1/15 Doncaster 1-0 Barnsley (League One)
10/1/15 Barnsley (George Waring, Conor Hourihane) 2-0 Yeovil (League One)
3/1/15 Barnsley 0-2 Middlesbrough (FA Cup)
26/12/14 Preston 1-0 Barnsley (League One)
20/12/14 Barnsley (Conor Hourihane, Devante Cole) 2-0 Leyton Orient (League One)
16/12/14 Chester 0-3 Barnsley (Kane Hemmings, Dale Jennings 2) (FA Cup)
W: 3 D: 0 L: 3 F: 7 A: 4 GD: +3 Points: 6 *one win in cup.
MK Dons last time out:
MK Dons 1-0 Sheffield United:
David Martin, Dean Lewington, Kyle McFadzean, Antony Kay, Ben Reeves (George Baldock 89), Jordan Spence, Dele Alli, Samir Carruthers (Mark Randall 86), Dean Bowditch (Johnson Clarke-Harris 65), Will Grigg.
Unused Substitutes:
Ian McLoughlin, Lee Hodson, Danny Green, Tom Hitchcock.
Interesting Stats:
These two sides meet for the seventh time since Wimbledon changed to Milton Keynes Dons. Back in 2004, Barnsley were the first ever team to face them.
This is only the sixth ever league meeting between the two sides, two of the last three clashes have been in cup competitions.
In all competitions there has been seven meetings, which have produced 21 goals, 10 of which have arrived in the final 20 minutes, including five in the final ten.
There has been a 90th minute goal in each of the last three meetings.
The Reds are unbeaten at MK Dons. They have travelled to Milton Keynes on three occasions, twice at the National Hockey Stadium and once at Stadium: MK, winning once and drawing twice.
Overall, The Reds have lost just two of the seven clashes so far, in a League Cup tie and the most recent league meeting at Oakwell back in September.
Barnsley had lost just two of their last six meetings with the now defunct Wimbledon so in total have lost just four of the last 13 of these games.
Barnsley will be heading into a real lion’s den this weekend as they face an MK Dons team with an imposing home record this season.
The Dons have won nine of their 13 games at Stadium: MK this season, nobody has won more home games in League One.
They have also being unstoppable in front of goal there bagging a staggering 34 goals, 10 more than the next best side, and they have only conceded 12, only Bristol City (9) have conceded less home goals.
Despite looking unstoppable at home, the Dons have lost two of their last three home matches in all competitions, and suffered only their second home league defeat against Walsall at the end of December.
Karl Robinson’s side have lost just one of their last 15 league games which has put them on course for automatic promotion or at the very least a spot in the play-offs. They sit in third place; six points off second place (with a game in hand) but 12 points above seventh.
Nine of those 15 games have been victories, although they have won only one of their last four in all competitions- last time out against another South Yorkshire team, Sheffield United.
The Dons have won 14 league games already this season; they managed only 17 in the whole of 2013-2014.
Since forming in 2004, the MK Dons have also been in the top six of League One at this stage of the season in 2008-2009, 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 and have finished in the play-offs in each of those campaigns but never won promotion.
MK Dons this week secured the loan signature of a certain Devante Cole from Manchester City until the end of the season. The 19-year-old son of former Manchester United legend Andy Cole spent August to December at Oakwell scoring seven times in 23 games and could make his Dons debut against Barnsley this weekend.
Cole is not the only familiar face on show to Reds supporters. Defender Antony Kay was born and bred in Barnsley, making 197 appearances for his hometown team between 2000 and 2007 and was a key player in the side that won promotion from League One in 2006. The now 32 year old has made 27 appearances for the Dons this season.
In the dugout, Dons fans will also have a trip down memory lane; current Barnsley boss Danny Wilson was the Dons manager between 2004 and 2006, winning 25 of 82 games in charge. During this spell the Dons were relegated to League Two.
The Dons current top scorer is 18 year old Dele Alli who has struck 11 times in 29 appearances this season and seven of those strikes have come at home. One of his four away goals was scored in the reverse fixture at Oakwell.
On This Day:
MK Dons:
Played: 1 Won: 0 Drawn: 0 Lost: 1 Scored: 2 Conceded: 4.
Last match on the 24th January: 2012. Stevenage 4-2 MK Dons (Jay O’Shea 2, Tom Flanagan 86) Att: 3,345.
Last win: N/A
Last draw: N/A
Last defeat: 2012
STAT! – MK Dons have played only once on this date, losing 4-2 at Stevenage in a League One encounter three years ago.
Barnsley:
Played: 12 Won: 3 Drawn: 5 Lost: 4 Scored: 14 Conceded: 16.
Last match on the 24th January: 2004. Brighton 1-0 Barnsley. Att: 6,033.
Last win: 1993
Last draw: 1998
Last defeat: 2004
STAT! – Barnsley have lost only one of their last six matches on this date.
Mad Sites:
Official Sites:
Other Fixtures:
Saturday 24th January 2015:
3pm:
Colchester v Leyton Orient
Fleetwood v Crawley
Gillingham v Oldham
Notts County v Peterborough
Port Vale v Crewe
Yeovil v Coventry