PREVIEW: MK Dons v Swindon Town

SWINDON TOWN will aim to keep their 2019 100% away record going as they travel to face playoff placed MK Dons this weekend. Total Sport Swindon’s Ryan Walker previews the League Two fixture.

Having not played for almost two weeks, Swindon Town are in for a bounce back to reality as Richie Wellens and his squad make the weekend trip to Buckinghamshire against formidable opposition in the shape of MK Dons.

A disappointing one-nil home loss against relegation contenders Crawley Town in their last match saw Swindon drop to 13th in the League Two table with a gap of ten points now separating the Wiltshire club from the playoff zone. 

In contrast, Saturday’s opponents currently occupy 6th place in the table knowing that a win over Swindon could take the Dons up to 4th in the league standings, however, four defeats in their last five games highlights the challenges facing Paul Tisdale’s side.

A poor run of results against MK Dons sees Swindon Town without a win against the Buckinghamshire side since 2012 in a 1-0 home victory, whilst tomorrow’s hosts have won five and drawn three times against the Robins since then.

But for all the statistical history that only points towards a weekend loss for Swindon, a busy January transfer window in which manager Richie Wellens brought in nine fresh players, means Town can travel to the Stadium MK with a new-look attack that will be aiming to find the goals Swindon have so far lacked this season.

Having conceded ten goals during their last five matches, MK look unsettled and disorganised in defence, something that Town’s new attackers including Theo Robinson, Kyle Bennett, and Ben House will be looking to take advantage of. 

But for all of their defensive problems, a combined goals tally of 25 goals this season between Kieran Agard and Chuks Aneke represents a devastating attacking threat that Swindon’s defenders will have to deal with.

Team news for both sides sees club Captain Olly Lancashire remain unavailable for selection due to injury, as a fresh worry for Town sees Luke Woolfenden doubtful to make an appearance after picking up a calf injury in training earlier in the week. 

For the hosts, manager Paul Tisdale revealed in his pre-match press conference that George Williams remains sidelined due to injury, whilst fellow defender Jordan Moore-Taylor will undergo a late fitness test to assess whether his availability. 

Patchy 2019 form for both teams’ makes Saturday’s encounter a difficult one to call, but with MK Dons looking to cement their place in the playoffs and Swindon Town all but out of contention, the hosts may just have too much firepower for Swindon to handle.

Prediction: 2-1