Football Season Guide

The decision of the MK Dons board to appoint young Karl Robinson on a permanent basis at the beginning of the previous season raised a lot of eyebrows among the Dons' faithful. But the promising manager is enjoying full support and confidence of everyone around the club after a season in which his side played some fantastic football and only had their promotion push in the Play-Off semi-final stopped by Peterborough, who eventually won elevation into the Championship. However, the weight of expectations from Robinson will be higher after a successful first season, and the young manager will have to do some rebuilding with his squad following a busy summer. Star striker Sam Baldock rejected a move to Peterborough, but there are several other club reportedly after him, and his departure would be a huge blow for the Dons, who aren't really packed with quality in the attacking department, although new boy Dean Bowditch, who signs from Yeovil, is expected to provide further options up front. The club also lost important central midfielder Peter Leven, who moved to Oxford after the Dons failed to meet his demands for extending an expiring contract. Leven was the heartbeat of MK Dons last season and their main set piece taker, and will be very difficult ro replace, especially as none of the new signings seems suited to playing his role. The other two new signings are midfielder Jay O'Shea, a Birmingham trainee unknown at this level and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Darren Potter, who is expected to become an instant starter. Central defender Sean O'Hanlon has been snapped up by Hibernian on a free transfer, while full-back Danny Woodards was somewhat surprisingly released from his contract. The Dons still have a lot of quality left in their squad and can challenge for promotion, but they absolutely have to keep hold of Baldock if they are to remain genuine promotion contenders.