Mk visit Brackley town in pre-season 25/26 Friendly

Like Liverpool v Everton, the match everyone has waited for finally arrived this evening, pre 25/26 season friendly match between possible League two chasers Brackley and possible league two relegators, Mk Dons. GMK News says possible league two delegators if one looks at how close to the drop zone the dons finished at the end of the 24/25 season.

The possible fantasy that newly promoted Brackley Town to the National vanaroma could end up in league two if their success continues whilst the dons drop down in the opposite direction if their poor performance persists, did not hold true in the first five mins as the Dons went one nil up.

The Dons playing in a new boring dull grey colour were moving about the pitch faster in the first 30 mins of the match but Brackley were not without their own chances, with several attacks of their own but failing to capitalise and equalise. The Dons had put their second team out in a recent pre season friendly at Mk Irish which resulted in a 2-2 draw. With local pride to play for, Brackley in the ascendancy and the Dons in the descendeny, it looked like MK had put more of their first team out tonight. Back from trying to improve on fitness following training in Spain, it didn’t look like too much had come of it as Brackley came very close to scoring with a short range kick at goal in the 34th minute.

GMK News intends to cover more of the Dons matches next season in anticipation of a possible shock relegation out of the professional leagues. For local football fans this might prove more interesting to report on than the potential dream that Brackley could make it to league two only in their first season in the national vanarama. Experienced football fans, know that newly promoted teams tend to drop back down in their first season of promotion as they try to consolidate their success. If one looks at the recent example of Oxford City’s promotion to the National vanarama, the club went straight back down the following season rather than consolidate and it seems more likely this will also be the reality for Brackley in the strongly anticipated forthcoming season.

GMK News will be reporting on the progress of both clubs for the 25/26 season as this seems to be the focal point and antithesis of where local football is eclipsing at present.

Without being too controversial, one thing is for sure, the MK Dons needs to break away from its past if is to ever stand a chance of progressing. Brackley Town’s directors run its club on a non profit motivation basis whereas the Dons run its cub on excessive corporatism, a four way score board, neglect of community in favour of commercial principles born out of franchise football and the take over of Wimbledon FC back in the dinosaur age of 2003. For these reasons, GMK News beyond this paragraph will be dropping the word Dons as this urgently needs to go if Milton Keynes football is to escape yet another possibility of a white elephant be created out of the prehistoric age of franchise football. We hope our readers feel the same way. The word Dons is dropped, pre- fixed with MK only and in support of a better name like MK city or GMK city as a mk city football team once existed and possibly still exists. More on this to follow on in future blog posts, future editions of GMK News. Football for the supporters only and no one else.

The first half ended one nil to MK or GMK City. The second half started subdued and with a lot of bunching around the ball by both sides at the start of the second. Brackley needed to get more of a grip of the match and proove itself as an alternative club to Milton Keynes football supporters like Everton is in Liverpool and equalise. A Brackley corner came in the 50 th min, opening up opportunities of an equaliser but after a scramble the ball went into the hands of high jumping Mk goalie.

Second half bunching by both sides.

Fans change sides. Above GMK supporters in St James Park away end.

Brackley supporters in the home end- more sparsely populated.

By the 70 th min it was still even stevens in terms of the play. Semi professional football matching professional which had to give credit to Brackley despite them being one nil down. The score line difference was as narrow like the difference in quality of play.

With an attendance of 1062 and a larger amount of MK away support showed that there is still passion there, although it has lost quite a bit of direction after 20 years and a change of ownership from Peter Winkleman to the Middle East. In the final 10 mins, Mk kept putting the pressure on and Brackley started looking tired as the equaliser became more distant in coming. The fans present were less excited about tonight’s match than the media. There was no noise or singing from both sets of supporters who engaged in friendly conversations about grounds and trains and little anything else. The match was no Liverpool v Everton derby in terms of atmosphere. In terms of discussion and debate about the future direction of local football, it had plenty to offer.

One minute from the end a step up in city pressure, got its rewards as GMk managed to go 2-0 up in the final minute of the match.

Brackley had not succeeded in winning the match when the final whistle went but the narrow score line and play showed they had plenty to offer, as far as their new life in the national vanarama draws closer.