# 2018–19 Milton Keynes Dons F.C. season

The 2018–19 season was Milton Keynes Dons' 15th season in their existence, and the club's first season back in League Two following relegation from League One at the end of the 2017–18 season. Along with competing in League Two, the club also competed in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.
The season covers the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019.

## Competitions
### League Two

Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Lincoln City (C,P) | 46 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 73 | 43 | +30 | 85 |
| 2 | Bury (P) | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 82 | 56 | +26 | 79 |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons (P) | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 71 | 49 | +22 | 79 |
| 4 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 69 | 41 | +28 | 76 |
| 5 | Forest Green Rovers | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 74 |
Source: Sky Sports
Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 4 August 2018 – 15:00 | Oldham Athletic | Away | 2–1 | Agard, Harley | 4,764 |
| 11 August 2018 – 15:00 | Bury | Home | 1–0 | Cissé | 6,897 |
| 18 August 2018 – 15:00 | Crewe Alexandra | Away | 0–0 | | 3,505 |
| 21 August 2018 – 19:45 | Grimsby Town | Home | 1–1 | Simpson | 6,800 |
| 25 August 2018 – 15:00 | Exeter City | Home | 1–0 | Agard | 7,672 |
| 1 September 2018 – 15:00 | Swindon Town | Away | 1–1 | Walsh | 6,620 |
| 15 September 2018 – 15:00 | Forest Green Rovers | Home | 1–1 | Aneke | 6,638 |
| 22 September 2018 – 15:00 | Lincoln City | Away | 1–2 | Healey | 9,322 |
| 25 September 2018 – 19:45 | Yeovil Town | Away | 1–1 | Agard | 2,634 |
| 29 September 2018 – 15:00 | Tranmere Rovers | Home | 1–1 | Aneke | 7,048 |
| 2 October 2018 – 19:45 | Port Vale | Away | 2–0 | Aneke, Agard | 3,399 |
| 6 October 2018 – 15:00 | Cheltenham Town | Home | 3–0 | Aneke, Healey, Simpson | 6,503 |
| 13 October 2018 – 15:00 | Cambridge United | Away | 1–0 | Aneke | 5,106 |
| 20 October 2018 – 15:00 | Northampton Town | Home | 1–0 | Agard | 9,618 |
| 23 October 2018 – 19:45 | Notts County | Home | 2–1 | Aneke, Healey | 6,501 |
| 27 October 2018 – 15:00 | Mansfield Town | Away | 1–1 | Houghton | 4,329 |
| 3 November 2018 – 15:00 | Crawley Town | Away | 4–0 | Healey (2), Agard, Aneke | 2,667 |
| 17 November 2018 – 15:00 | Macclesfield Town | Home | 2–0 | Aneke, Agard | 7,087 |
| 24 November 2018 – 15:00 | Stevenage | Away | 2–3 | Healey, Agard | 3,263 |
| 27 November 2018 – 19:45 | Morecambe | Home | 2–0 | Gilbey (2) | 5,726 |
| 8 December 2018 – 19:45 | Carlisle United | Home | 2–0 | Houghton, Agard | 5,849 |
| 22 December 2018 – 15:00 | Colchester United | Home | 0–1 | | 7,765 |
| 26 December 2018 – 15:00 | Cheltenham Town | Away | 1–3 | Aneke | 3,226 |
| 29 December 2018 – 15:00 | Northampton Town | Away | 2–2 | Gilbey, Aneke | 6,963 |
| 1 January 2019 – 15:00 | Cambridge United | Home | 6–0 | Healey (2), Agard (2), Aneke, Sow | 8,128 |
| 12 January 2019 – 15:00 | Bury | Away | 3–4 | Moore-Taylor, Lewington, Stokes (o.g.) | 4,072 |
| 19 January 2019 – 15:00 | Crewe Alexandra | Home | 0–1 | | 8,347 |
| 26 January 2019 – 15:00 | Grimsby Town | Away | 0–1 | | 3,862 |
| 29 January 2019 – 19:45 | Oldham Athletic | Home | 2–1 | Aneke, Agard | 5,950 |
| 2 February 2019 – 15:00 | Exeter City | Away | 1–3 | Walsh | 5,766 |
| 9 February 2019 – 15:00 | Swindon Town | Home | 2–3 | Hesketh, Agard | 7,864 |
| 12 February 2019 – 19:45 | Newport County | Away | 1–0 | Aneke | 2,860 |
| 16 February 2019 – 15:00 | Carlisle United | Away | 3–2 | McGrandles, Hesketh, Agard | 10,459 |
| 23 February 2019 – 15:00 | Newport County | Home | 2–0 | Cissé, Aneke | 6,984 |
| 2 March 2019 – 15:00 | Crawley Town | Home | 1–0 | Agard | 6,889 |
| 9 March 2019 – 15:00 | Macclesfield Town | Away | 3–1 | Brittain, Wheeler, Agard | 2,017 |
| 12 March 2019 – 19:45 | Morecambe | Away | 2–4 | Agard (2) | 1,460 |
| 16 March 2019 – 15:00 | Stevenage | Home | 1–1 | Aneke | 7,365 |
| 23 March 2019 – 15:00 | Yeovil Town | Home | 2–0 | Harley, Aneke | 7,593 |
| 30 March 2019 – 15:00 | Forest Green Rovers | Away | 2–1 | Agard, Martin | 3,220 |
| 6 April 2019 – 15:00 | Lincoln City | Home | 0–2 | | 15,851 |
| 13 April 2019 – 15:00 | Tranmere Rovers | Away | 1–2 | Agard | 8,357 |
| 19 April 2019 – 15:00 | Notts County | Away | 2–1 | Wheeler, Aneke | 7,130 |
| 22 April 2019 – 15:00 | Port Vale | Home | 1–1 | Wheeler | 8,386 |
| 27 April 2019 – 15:00 | Colchester United | Away | 0–2 | | 5,000 |
| 4 May 2019 – 15:00 | Mansfield Town | Home | 1–0 | Wheeler | 20,718 |

### FA Cup

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| 10 November 2018 – 15:00 | First round | Grimsby Town | Away | 1–3 | Agard | 1,991 | |

### EFL Cup

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| 14 August 2018 – 19:45 | First round | Charlton Athletic | Away | 3–0 | Asonganyi, Watson, Cummings (o.g.) | 3,052 | |
| 28 August 2018 – 19:45 | Second round | AFC Bournemouth | Away | 0–3 | | 9,747 | |

### EFL Trophy

Southern Group H Table
| Pos | Div | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L1 | Luton Town (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Second round |
| 2 | L1 | Peterborough United (Q) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 5 | Second round |
| 3 | ACA | Brighton & Hove Albion U21 (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | L2 | Milton Keynes Dons (E) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 2 | |
Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 4 September 2018 – 19:45 | Group stage | Peterborough United | Home | 3–3 | Aneke (2), Healey | 2,404 |
| 9 October 2018 – 19:45 | Group stage | Luton Town | Away | 0–3 | | 875 |
| 13 November 2018 – 19:45 | Group stage | Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | Home | 2–3 | Agard, Hancox | 1,018 |
* ↑ After 90 minutes. Milton Keynes Dons gained an extra point with a 6–5 win on penalties.

## Squad

    Note: Players' ages as of the club's opening fixture of the 2018–19 season.
| # | Name | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Transfer fee |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | Lee Nicholls | GK | (1992-10-05)5 October 1992 (aged 25) | Free agent | 2016 | Free |
| 22 | Stuart Moore | GK | (1994-09-08)8 September 1994 (aged 23) | Free agent | 2018 | Free |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | George Williams | RB | (1993-04-14)14 April 1993 (aged 25) | Barnsley | 2016 | Free |
| 3 | Dean Lewington | LB | (1984-05-18)18 May 1984 (aged 34) | Wimbledon | 2004 | Free |
| 4 | Joe Walsh | CB | (1992-05-13)13 May 1992 (aged 26) | Crawley Town | 2015 | Undisclosed |
| 5 | Mathieu Baudry | CB | (1988-02-24)24 February 1988 (aged 30) | Free agent | 2018 | Free |
| 12 | Mitch Hancox | LB | (1993-11-09)9 November 1993 (aged 24) | Macclesfield Town | 2018 | Free |
| 15 | Jordan Moore-Taylor | CB | (1994-01-24)24 January 1994 (aged 24) | Exeter City | 2018 | Free |
| 16 | Russell Martin | CB | (1986-01-04)4 January 1986 (aged 32) | Free agent | 2019 | Free |
| 25 | Callum Brittain | RB | (1998-03-12)12 March 1998 (aged 20) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 26 | Baily Cargill | CB | (1995-07-05)5 July 1995 (aged 23) | Free agent | 2018 | Free |
| 28 | Oran Jackson | CB | (1998-10-16)16 October 1998 (aged 19) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 31 | Finn Tapp | CB | (1999-11-09)9 November 1999 (aged 18) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 6 | Ousseynou Cissé | DM | (1991-04-07)7 April 1991 (aged 27) | Tours | 2017 | Free |
| 7 | Ryan Watson | AM | (1993-07-07)7 July 1993 (aged 25) | Barnet | 2018 | Free |
| 8 | Alex Gilbey | AM | (1994-12-09)9 December 1994 (aged 23) | Wigan Athletic | 2017 | Undisclosed |
| 11 | Jake Hesketh | AM | (1996-03-27)27 March 1996 (aged 22) | Southampton | 2019 | Loan |
| 18 | Conor McGrandles | CM | (1999-10-21)21 October 1999 (aged 18) | Norwich City | 2017 | Free |
| 20 | Lawson D'Ath | CM | (1992-12-24)24 December 1992 (aged 25) | Luton Town | 2018 | Free |
| 20 | David Wheeler | RM | (1990-10-04)4 October 1990 (aged 27) | Queens Park Rangers | 2019 | Loan |
| 24 | Jordan Houghton | DM | (1995-11-05)5 November 1995 (aged 22) | Free agent | 2018 | Free |
| 29 | David Kasumu | CM | (1999-10-05)5 October 1999 (aged 18) | Academy | 2017 | Trainee |
| 33 | Ryan Harley | AM | (1985-01-22)22 January 1985 (aged 33) | Exeter City | 2018 | Free |
| 38 | Charlie Pattison | AM | (2000-12-28)28 December 2000 (aged 17) | Academy | 2019 | Trainee |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 10 | Chuks Aneke | CF | (1993-07-03)3 July 1993 (aged 25) | Zulte Waregem | 2016 | Free |
| 14 | Kieran Agard | CF | (1989-10-10)10 October 1989 (aged 28) | Bristol City | 2016 | Undisclosed |
| 19 | Robbie Simpson | CF | (1985-03-15)15 March 1985 (aged 33) | Free agent | 2018 | Free |
| 34 | Stephen Walker | CF | (2000-10-11)11 October 2000 (aged 17) | Middlesbrough | 2018 | Loan |
| 37 | Dylan Asonganyi | CF | (2000-10-10)10 October 2000 (aged 17) | Academy | 2017 | Trainee |
| Out on loan ||||||||
| 27 | Brandon Thomas-Asante | LW | (1998-12-29)29 December 1998 (aged 19) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 27 | Sam Nombe | CF | (1998-10-22)22 October 1998 (aged 19) | Academy | 2017 | Trainee |
| 30 | Liam Sole | RW | (1999-12-21)21 December 1999 (aged 18) | Academy | 2018 | Trainee |
| Left club during season ||||||||
| 9 | Osman Sow | CF | (1990-04-22)22 April 1990 (aged 28) | Free agent | 2017 | Free |
| 11 | Peter Pawlett | LW | (1991-02-03)3 February 1991 (aged 27) | Aberdeen | 2017 | Free |
| 12 | Wieger Sietsma | GK | (1995-07-11)11 July 1995 (aged 23) | Free agent | 2017 | Free |
| 21 | Aidan Nesbitt | AM | (1997-02-05)5 February 1997 (aged 21) | Celtic | 2017 | Undisclosed |
| 32 | Rhys Healey | CF | (1994-12-06)6 December 1994 (aged 23) | Cardiff City | 2018 | Loan |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Lawson D'Ath | Luton Town | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | DF | Mitch Hancox | Macclesfield Town | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | DF | Jordan Moore-Taylor | Exeter City | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Ryan Watson | Barnet | Free transfer |
| 6 July 2018 | MF | Jordan Houghton | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 9 July 2018 | MF | Ryan Harley | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 9 July 2018 | FW | Robbie Simpson | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 30 July 2018 | DF | Mathieu Baudry | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2018 | DF | Baily Cargill | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 2 August 2018 | GK | Stuart Moore | Swindon Town | Compensation |
| 15 January 2019 | DF | Russell Martin | Free agent | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Connor Furlong | Released | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Hugo Logan | Released | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Giorgio Rasulo | Released | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Nigel Reo-Coker | Released | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | MF | Ed Upson | Bristol Rovers | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | DF | Scott Wootton | Plymouth Argyle | Free transfer |
| 31 August 2018 | FW | Robbie Muirhead | Dunfermline Athletic | Undisclosed |
| 2 January 2019 | MF | Aidan Nesbitt | Released | Released |
| 3 January 2019 | GK | Wieger Sietsma | Released | Released |
| 31 January 2019 | MF | Peter Pawlett | Dundee United | Undisclosed |
| 31 January 2019 | FW | Osman Sow | Dundee United | Undisclosed |

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 24 August 2018 | FW | Rhys Healey | Cardiff City | January 2019 |
| 25 January 2019 | FW | David Wheeler | Queens Park Rangers | End of season |
| 31 January 2019 | MF | Jake Hesketh | Southampton | End of season |
| 31 January 2019 | FW | Stephen Walker | Middlesbrough | End of season |

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 30 October 2018 | FW | Sam Nombe | Oxford City | 31 December 2018 |
| 16 November 2018 | DF | Finn Tapp | Staines Town | 1 January 2019 |
| 23 November 2018 | FW | Brandon Thomas-Asante | Sutton United | 19 January 2019 |
| 14 December 2018 | FW | Liam Sole | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 25 January 2019 |
| 11 January 2019 | FW | Sam Nombe | Maidenhead United | End of season |
| 25 January 2019 | FW | Liam Sole | St Albans City | End of season |
| 28 January 2019 | FW | Brandon Thomas-Asante | Oxford City | End of season |
* ↑ Previous club: Chelsea.
* ↑ Previous club: Exeter City.
* ↑ Previous club: Doncaster Rovers.
* ↑ Previous club: Bournemouth.
* ↑ Previous club: Walsall.
* ↑ Joined Bedford Town on 10 August 2018.
* ↑ Joined Brackley Town on 9 August 2018.
* ↑ Mutual contract termination. Joined Dundee United on 4 January 2019.
* ↑ Mutual contract termination. Joined Hoang Anh Gia Lai on 16 January 2019.

## Awards

* EFL League Two Manager of the Month (October 2018): Paul Tisdale