Remembrance Day Football has important meaning in MK City.

Today MK new city play ex manager’s Karl Robinson latest club , Salford in the annual armed forces match. In the previous week, over remebersnce day weekend the Swans played Northampton Orchnecks in the second round match of the FA Vase. The match was important for Gary Flinn because he was looking to make it third time lucky in possibly making it to Wembley. However, it was not to be as the Swans lost this important match 1-2 at home. Northamptom Orchnecls got its original unusual name from the formation of the club at the end of the First World War to commemorate those soldiers from the local grammar school who lost their lives on the Western Front. The name Orchnecks gets its naming from the first few letters of the four houses of the grammar school. The match was important for MK supporters but more important is that we always continue to remember those who have died for us so that we can be free and live the lives that we live today. This may partly explain in a possible religious way why the Swans lost this important match for them. Who says there is no morality in football?

Today MK were looking to show Salford and Karl Robinson who are boss. Starting the match fourth in the league, the team needed to put Salford to bed in order to keep promotion possibility thus season alive. Of course, Karl Robinson was looking to seek revenge for the way he left the club due to a string of bad results. For all the right and wrong reasons, today’s match looked a potentially interesting one to watch.

Armed forces Day at MK v Salford

MK line up with Ex manager, Karl Robinsons latest side, Salford.

After the two minute silence, Mk opened up with a surprise attack and very early shot on goal. However, the early momentum did not continue, as Salford were able to hold and match MK with equal quality play and chances in the first 10 mins. By the start of the second quarter, a home supporter started up a rhythmic drum which for MK would hopefully motivate them to start taking the advantage. However, in the 14th minute a Salford striker got loose and was able to strike a shot at the Mk goalkeeper which easily went safe and wide.

MK home end with drummer beat in second quarter of first half

Handful of Salford supporters in away end come to watch Karl Robinson’s new side.

With the clock hitting the 30th min, the play was still a surprising stalemate with only a hanfdful of decent opportunities being created from either side. MK got the ball into the Salford penalty box but their was no decisive killer play ending. Instead of shooting at goal or passing the striker tried to keep hold of the ball, fumbling and eventually losing it. Mk as the half time whistle approached looked too relaxed and uncommitted. In the 34th minute, an MK player went down in the Salford box but no penalty was given, as it looked more like a dive than a genuine foul. With not much doing MK needed to look for a lot more in the second half. With six mins of injury time awarded another MK player went down in the Salford box and this time it was awarded. Mendez-Laing took a short run up to the kick and it worked easily fooling the Salford goal keeper and MK were one nil up, although not really deserving it.

Over half time MK had moved up to third place because higher placed and more consistent Walsall were surprisingly two nil down in their match to Colchester. As play opened up for the second half one was asking one self if one goal would be enough to settle it for MK? With the floodlights on, one hoped the play would also brighton up in the second half. With Mk kicking against their drummer things looked promising although there was still bunching with players gathering around the right hand side of the pitch where most of the early play was and no left winger to be seen. By the 50th min Joe Tomlinson took the initiative and started to take up the left wing position forcing more play onto the left hand side. However as Mk started to use both sides of the pitch, Salford stepped up their play and earnt a dangerous corner kick which nearly went in , in the 52nd min. The step up in Salford play hunting an equaliser earnt more vocality from the handful of Salford supporters in the away end who had come to cheer their side along. Mk responded by trying to keep to their tactical positions, although a bit of bunching was now beginning to form around the left hand side instead of the right. In the 55th, Salford’s captain, Luke Garbutt earnt and took a long range free kick from the half way line but nothing came of it. By the end of the first quarter of the second half the match was turning into a bit of a free fall with the players of both sides running and following the play of the ball rather than maintaining their tactical positions. In the 59 th minute, a MK defender made an error allowing the Salford front line to penetrate more closer to the MK goal which fortunately for MK was picked up by another defender who saved the day by kicking the ball out of play. With half an hour to go, Salford were beginning to a get more of the ball but a few passing errors let them down, slowing down the build up of any serious equalising counter play. As the match hit the 65th min, all MK could do was try to hold on to the lead, there was still nothing coming out of the bottle to look like they could get a second. MK’s play, despite the penalty lead was disappointingly slow and unconvincing, not one would expect of a possible top of league two side. Results were still going their way with Walsall still two nil down and top of the league, Swindon Town drawing. In the 70 th minute, Salford won a free kick just outside the penalty box. Substitute Joe Grant took it but it went disappointingly wide past the left hand post. Mk were beginning to look like they could withstand the new Salford Tempo and were beginning to absorb the pressure as the game moved into the final 10 mins. Ping pong play was beginning to happen in the mid field part of the pitch which if MK could win more might have got them a second goal. However, Salford kept passing the ball around more as the flood of late match substitutions began to try and change the present outcome of the match. But it was all to no vale, as Mk were able to keep the lead right until the end, with a late injury time goal from Calum Patterson to make it a 2-0 win. The score line result did not reflect their play which for this match was quite ordinary. Luck stayed MK’s way as Swindon’s equal and Walsall losing score line pushed Mk up from 4th to 3rd in League Two.