Attempt missed. Ryan Tunnicliffe (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Marcus Harness. 69 mins.
Final Match Stats:- Home Team: MK Dons ..............Away Team: Portsmouth Possession: Home 47% Away 53% Shots: Home 13 Away 6 Shots on Target: Home 6 Away 2 Corners: Home 6 Away 7 Fouls: Home 9 Away 19
While the coaching has changed, come Match day and the players are still in a straight jacket. Time to.take Marquis and Curtis out of the firing line completely, until January!!
The 2nd half performance was better than the first but if we didn't have a goalkeeper than can save everything (almost) the contest would have been over by then. I must admit I thought Bass was hard done by when he was replaced but Bazunu has been a revelation. He also lifts goalkeeping distribution to another level. The down side is that we have zero chance of signing him. If he does not make the Man City 1st team next year he will probably go to a premiership team for very big bucks. Romeo adds an athletic dimension to the team but I am yet to be convinced he is as reliable defensively as Freeman, Would we have leaked that goal if Freeman had remained on the field.? Freeman was upset to be replaced. perhaps he now knows how Johnstone felt. Its a tough game. Marquis has had a lot of flack because of his poor scoring record but its not as if he is missing a lot of chances. The chances are not being created. I suppose there is a case that if your striker is not scoring, for whatever reason, you may as well replace him with someone who is better at holding possession and generally making a nuisance of himself which Harrison is, perhaps, better at. Also goal scoring comes in spells for strikers so giving Harrison a go before the impetus of his hat trick fades may be our best bet for next week. The real problem is the mid field is not creating much. I think we are perhaps holding possession in the mid field better than we did last season which may be a significant factor in our good defensive record but we need more. Williams has been excellent and must be the first midfielder on the team sheet. Tuncliffe has been good but does not inject himself into the game enough and I am suspicious about his work rate. Morrell has a high work rate but a lot of what he does appears to not quite come off.at the moment. Louis Thompson did some good things in the mid week cup game but may yet be a little short of fitness. So a lot of hope seems to be pinned on the inevitable introduction of Azeez as an attacking mid fielder. The question is who should he replace? I would like to see how he can combine with Tuncliffe but fear this may leave the mid field short on work rate. Never the less I think it would be the more optimistic option and worth a try.
Goal scoring was always a problem last season, under both Kenny Jackett and Danny Cowley, pdu. The problem is the lack of a decent striker signing during the summer transfer window. None of our strikers are consistent enough unfortunately. We missed out on both Jayden Stockley from Preston, and Joe Piggott from Wimbledon, although to date neither of them have set the world alight with their new clubs !! I agree that Miguel Azeez needs to be brought in as soon as possible, to see if he can live up to his hype. Also play Gassan Ahadme up front alongside either John Marquis or Ellis Harrison, as after all he was signed as a striker, and scored 8 goals in pre season in around 5 matches so he has an eye for goal. A bit frustrating at the moment I must admit !!