MK Move Up to 4th Despite Disappointing 0-0 draw with Crawley Town.

Above- Crawley Town in red line up with MK at start of tonight’s match.

‘ O Milton Keynes' was the continual humming chant from the home end of Tuesday night’s promotion chasing clash with Crawley Town. There were two early close shots from MK strikers in the second and 5th minute. Crawley were 4th from bottom and MK 5th from top at the start of tonight’s match. A win this evening, would push them up as far as third, if not second, if results went their way. With a struggling club this season like Crawley to pick off, Mk had a chance to show their metal and killer instinct but would they? On Saturday, they had endless shots on goal, missed a penalty and only came away with a 1-0 victory. Tonight they needed to show they had the killer instinct and metal to make possible automatic promotion, a reality.

By the the end of the first quarter, it was another disappointing start . Some shots on goal but no real show of strength and dominance, one would expect when a top of the league side is playing a lower one. The worst moment for MK was in the 15th min, Ben Wiles broke free and had an open run at goal. Instead of shooting, he fumbled and hesitated and passed the ball to another striker also free and close to him on his left hand side. The net result was a complete miss and lost opportunity.

In the second quarter frustration from both sides led to Crawley committing a foul, defending which resulted in the referee giving them their first yellow card in the 22nd minute. The MK free kick was well taken connecting with another MK boot close to the Crawley goal but the goalkeeper was quite easily able to save it. In the 25th, Gilbey got a ball to his head but instead of heading it over the goalkeeper to score, he headed it down onto the ground unable to do anything with the ball thereafter.

By the final quarter, Mk were getting most of the play but nothing was coming from it. Gilbey had another connection with the ball close to the Crawley goal line in the 28th but instead of pounding it into the back of the net, he hit it wide. The corner which came from the deflection was well taken but nothing came from that either.

The match was turning out like Saturday's; one of missed opportunities. From around the 32nd min, Crawley started to take advantage of MK’s indecisive play and pushed play more up into the MK end. They were able to get a long shot on goal in the 33rd but it went wide. The stalemate play continued right through to the end of the first half.

In the second half, the indecisive Mk play continued. If the mk team had been given a good talking to half time by the manager, it wasn't showing on the pitch. In the first quarter of the second half, it was more of the same, the key moments were a run and missed shot by Mellish, with the same also happening to Ben Wiles and Liam Kelly. Ben Wiles was as almost invincible this match, as he was on Saturday. In the 70 th min, Gethin Jones, ran down the right side, got a weak shot in and missed.Hepburn Murphy, another player who had missed an opportunity second half was finally substituted in the 71st and Scott Hogan was brought on. If a goal was going to come it was going to happen in the final quarter. MK kept nibbling away at the ball but no winner. came.

Above- another MK corner towards the end of the match but nothing comes of the opportunity

Crawley had a few goes themselves and if they scored one could not help feeling, it would be curtains for Mk. In the 84th, Mk got a corner but the shot from it went miles over the top. Stalemate play continued right up to the full time whistle. Despite the disappointing 0-0 result for MK, results elsewhere still went their way and the extra one point has moved them up to 4th. MK still have a game in hand and an extra three points next time round could put them second if things go their way. In order for that to happen, MK need to stop wasting opportunities and develop a killer instinct, as a matter of urgency.

Tonight's attendance, 7036