# 2016–17 Milton Keynes Dons F.C. season

The 2016–17 season was Milton Keynes Dons' 13th season in their existence, and was their first season back in League One, the third level of English football, following relegation from the Championship the previous season.
Along with competing in League One, the club also participated in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.
The season covered the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017.

## Competitions
### League One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 66 |
| 11 | Peterborough United | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 62 |
| 12 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 61 |
| 13 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 60 | 53 | +7 | 60 |
| 14 | Walsall | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 51 | 58 | −7 | 58 |
Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 6 August 2016 – 15:00 | Shrewsbury Town | Away | 1–0 | Powell | 5,452 |
| 13 August 2016 – 15:00 | Millwall | Home | 2–2 | Agard (2) | 10,232 |
| 16 August 2016 – 19:45 | Bradford City | Home | 1–2 | Upson | 8,166 |
| 20 August 2016 – 15:00 | Rochdale | Away | 1–0 | Wootton | 2,176 |
| 27 August 2016 – 15:00 | Peterborough United | Home | 0–2 | | 10,621 |
| 4 September 2016 – 12:00 | Northampton Town | Away | 2–3 | Bowditch, Carruthers | 6,618 |
| 10 September 2016 – 15:00 | Bolton Wanderers | Away | 1–1 | Colclough | 12,727 |
| 17 September 2016 – 15:00 | Oxford United | Home | 0–0 | | 12,340 |
| 24 September 2016 – 15:00 | Fleetwood Town | Away | 4–1 | Colclough (3), Bowditch | 2,518 |
| 27 September 2016 – 19:45 | Bury | Home | 1–3 | Reeves | 7,652 |
| 1 October 2016 – 15:00 | Oldham Athletic | Away | 2–0 | Reeves, Agard | 3,273 |
| 9 October 2016 – 14:15 | Port Vale | Home | 0–1 | | 8,259 |
| 15 October 2016 – 15:00 | Scunthorpe United | Away | 1–2 | Agard | 4,238 |
| 18 October 2016 – 19:45 | Bristol Rovers | Home | 3–3 | Bowditch, G.B. Williams, Reeves | 8,366 |
| 22 October 2016 – 15:00 | Southend United | Home | 0–3 | | 11,039 |
| 29 October 2016 – 15:00 | Sheffield United | Away | 1–2 | Potter | 20,495 |
| 12 November 2016 – 15:00 | Walsall | Home | 1–1 | Bowditch | 8,188 |
| 19 November 2016 – 15:00 | Bristol Rovers | Away | 0–0 | | 9,031 |
| 22 November 2016 – 19:45 | Chesterfield | Home | 2–3 | Powell, Colclough | 7,429 |
| 26 November 2016 – 15:00 | Coventry City | Away | 2–1 | Upson (2) | 9,640 |
| 10 December 2016 – 13:00 | AFC Wimbledon | Home | 1–0 | Bowditch | 11,185 |
| 17 December 2016 – 15:00 | Gillingham | Away | 0–1 | | 5,682 |
| 26 December 2016 – 15:00 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 0–1 | | 10,257 |
| 30 December 2016 – 15:00 | Swindon Town | Home | 3–2 | Agard (2), Maynard | 9,385 |
| 2 January 2017 – 15:00 | Chesterfield | Away | 0–0 | | 5,554 |
| 21 January 2017 – 15:00 | Northampton Town | Home | 5–3 | Agard, Aneke (2), Potter, Barnes | 12,300 |
| 28 January 2017 – 15:00 | Peterborough United | Away | 4–0 | Barnes, Agard, Aneke (2) | 6,617 |
| 4 February 2017 – 15:00 | Bolton Wanderers | Home | 1–1 | Agard | 21,545 |
| 7 February 2017 – 19:45 | Oldham Athletic | Home | 1–0 | Maynard | 7,598 |
| 11 February 2017 – 15:00 | Oxford United | Away | 0–1 | | 9,179 |
| 14 February 2017 – 19:45 | Bury | Away | 0–0 | | 2,005 |
| 18 February 2017 – 15:00 | Fleetwood Town | Home | 0–1 | | 8,278 |
| 25 February 2017 – 15:00 | Shrewsbury Town | Home | 2–1 | Agard, Downing | 8,322 |
| 28 February 2017 – 19:45 | Bradford City | Away | 2–2 | O'Keefe, G.B. Williams | 16,725 |
| 4 March 2017 – 15:00 | Millwall | Away | 1–2 | Reeves | 9,636 |
| 11 March 2017 – 15:00 | Rochdale | Home | 2–2 | Agard, Reeves | 10,569 |
| 14 March 2017 – 19:45 | AFC Wimbledon | Away | 0–2 | | 4,112 |
| 18 March 2017 – 15:00 | Coventry City | Home | 1–0 | O'Keefe | 9,060 |
| 25 March 2017 – 15:00 | Port Vale | Away | 0–0 | | 3,877 |
| 1 April 2017 – 15:00 | Gillingham | Home | 3–2 | Muirhead, Barnes, Lewington | 8,807 |
| 4 April 2017 – 19:45 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 2–0 | O'Keefe, Barnes | 10,943 |
| 8 April 2017 – 15:00 | Swindon Town | Away | 1–1 | Agard | 7,946 |
| 14 April 2017 – 15:00 | Scunthorpe United | Home | 0–1 | | 9,274 |
| 17 April 2017 – 15:00 | Southend United | Away | 2–1 | Reeves, Walsh | 9,009 |
| 22 April 2017 – 15:00 | Sheffield United | Home | 0–3 | | 18,180 |
| 30 April 2017 – 12:00 | Walsall | Away | 4–1 | Muirhead, Reeves, O'Keefe, Barnes | 5,004 |
Source: Sky Sports

### FA Cup

Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 5 November 2016 – 15:00 | First round | Spennymoor Town | Home | 3–2 | Reeves, Thomas-Asante, Agard | 4,099 |
| 3 December 2016 – 15:00 | Second round | Charlton Athletic | Away | 0–0 | | 4,982 |
| 13 December 2016 – 19:45 | Second round (replay) | Charlton Athletic | Home | 3–1 | Powell, Reeves, Bowditch | 3,655 |
| 7 January 2017 – 15:00 | Third round | Brighton & Hove Albion | Away | 0–2 | | 11,091 |
* ↑ After extra-time. 1–1 at the conclusion of 90 minutes.

### EFL Cup

Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| 9 August 2016 – 19:45 | First round | Newport County | Away | 3–2 | Bowditch (2), Tilney | 1,402 | |
| 23 August 2016 – 19:45 | Second round | Reading | Away | 2–2 | Bowditch, Tshimanga | 6,848 | |
* ↑ After extra-time. 1–1 after 90 minutes. Reading won 4–2 on penalties.

### EFL Trophy

Southern Group F Table
| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | ACA | Norwich City U21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 9 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 5 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | L1 | Peterborough United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | |
| 4 | L2 | Barnet | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 1 | |
'Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 30 August 2016 – 19:45 | Group stage | Barnet | Home | 2–2 | Reeves, Walsh | 2,114 |
| 4 October 2016 – 19:30 | Group stage | Peterborough United | Away | 1–0 | Agard | 1,793 |
| 8 November 2016 – 19:00 | Group stage | Norwich City Academy | Away | 1–4 | Tapp | 1,042 |
| 6 December 2016 – 19:45 | Second round | Yeovil Town | Away | 1–4 | Lacey (o.g.) | 1,308 |
* ↑ After 90 minutes. Milton Keynes Dons gained an extra point with a 5–3 win on penalties

## Player details

    Note: Players' ages as of the club's opening fixture of the 2016–17 season.
| # | Name | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Transfer fee |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | David Martin | GK | (1986-01-22)22 January 1986 (aged 30) | Liverpool | 2010 | Free |
| 19 | Lee Nicholls | GK | (1992-10-05)5 October 1992 (aged 23) | Free agent | 2016 | Free |
| 29 | Charlie Burns | GK | (1995-05-27)27 May 1995 (aged 21) | Academy | 2014 | Trainee |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | George Baldock | RB | (1993-03-09)9 March 1993 (aged 23) | Academy | 2009 | Trainee |
| 3 | Dean Lewington | LB | (1984-05-18)18 May 1984 (aged 32) | Wimbledon | 2004 | Free |
| 4 | Joe Walsh | CB | (1992-05-13)13 May 1992 (aged 24) | Crawley Town | 2015 | Undisclosed |
| 5 | Scott Wootton | CB | (1991-09-12)12 September 1991 (aged 24) | Free agent | 2016 | Free |
| 12 | George Williams | RB | (1993-04-14)14 April 1993 (aged 23) | Barnsley | 2016 | Free |
| 21 | Callum Brittain | RB | (1998-03-12)12 March 1998 (aged 18) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 22 | Oran Jackson | CB | (1998-10-16)16 October 1998 (aged 17) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 23 | Paul Downing | CB | (1991-10-26)26 October 1991 (aged 24) | Walsall | 2016 | Free |
| 24 | Ben Tilney | LB | (1997-02-28)28 February 1997 (aged 19) | Academy | 2014 | Trainee |
| 34 | Finn Tapp | CB | (1999-11-09)9 November 1999 (aged 16) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 6 | Ed Upson | CM | (1989-11-21)21 November 1989 (aged 26) | Millwall | 2016 | Free |
| 8 | Darren Potter | DM | (1984-12-21)21 December 1984 (aged 31) | Sheffield Wednesday | 2011 | Free |
| 10 | Ben Reeves | AM | (1991-11-19)19 November 1991 (aged 24) | Free agent | 2013 | Free |
| 11 | Stuart O'Keefe | CM | (1991-03-04)4 March 1991 (aged 25) | Cardiff City | 2017 | Loan |
| 20 | Giorgio Rasulo | CM | (1997-01-23)23 January 1997 (aged 19) | Academy | 2012 | Trainee |
| 26 | Connor Furlong | CM | (1998-02-07)7 February 1998 (aged 18) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 31 | David Kasumu | CM | (1999-10-05)5 October 1999 (aged 16) | Academy | 2017 | Trainee |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 7 | Maecky Ngombo | CF | (1995-03-31)31 March 1995 (aged 21) | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2017 | Loan |
| 9 | Dean Bowditch | LW | (1986-06-15)15 June 1986 (aged 30) | Yeovil Town | 2011 | Free |
| 14 | Kieran Agard | CF | (1989-10-10)10 October 1989 (aged 26) | Bristol City | 2016 | Undisclosed |
| 16 | Robbie Muirhead | CF | (1996-03-08)8 March 1996 (aged 20) | Hears | 2017 | Undisclosed |
| 17 | Daniel Powell | LW | (1991-03-12)12 March 1991 (aged 25) | Academy | 2008 | Trainee |
| 18 | Harvey Barnes | LW | (1997-12-09)9 December 1997 (aged 18) | Leicester City | 2017 | Loan |
| 25 | Chuks Aneke | CF | (1993-07-03)3 July 1993 (aged 23) | Zulte Waregem | 2016 | Free |
| 28 | Nicky Maynard | CF | (1986-12-11)11 December 1986 (aged 29) | Free agent | 2015 | Free |
| 30 | Brandon Thomas-Asante | LW | (1998-12-29)29 December 1998 (aged 17) | Academy | 2016 | Trainee |
| 33 | Sam Nombe | CF | (1998-10-22)22 October 1998 (aged 17) | Academy | 2017 | Trainee |
| Out on loan ||||||||
| 27 | Kabongo Tshimanga | CF | (1997-07-22)22 July 1997 (aged 19) | Academy | 2014 | Trainee |
| Left club during season ||||||||
| 7 | Samir Carruthers | AM | (1993-04-04)4 April 1993 (aged 23) | Aston Villa | 2014 | Undisclosed |
| 11 | George Williams | LW | (1995-09-07)7 September 1995 (aged 20) | Fulham | 2016 | Loan |
| 16 | Jack Hendry | CB | (1995-09-07)7 September 1995 (aged 20) | Wigan Athletic | 2016 | Loan |
| 49 | Ryan Colclough | LW | (1994-12-27)27 December 1994 (aged 21) | Wigan Athletic | 2016 | Loan |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2016 | DF | Paul Downing | Walsall | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2016 | MF | Ed Upson | Millwall | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2016 | DF | George B Williams | Barnsley | Free transfer |
| 2 August 2016 | FW | Chuks Aneke | Zulte Waragem | Free transfer |
| 3 August 2016 | GK | Lee Nicholls | Wigan Athletic | Undisclosed |
| 11 August 2016 | FW | Kieran Agard | Bristol City | Undisclosed |
| 19 January 2017 | FW | Robbie Muirhead | Heart of Midlothian | Undisclosed |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2016 | DF | Lee Hodson | Rangers | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2016 | DF | Antony Kay | Bury | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2016 | FW | Alex Revell | Northampton Town | Free transfer |
| 12 July 2016 | DF | Kyle McFadzean | Burton Albion | Undisclosed |
| 24 August 2016 | FW | Simon Church | Roda JC Kerkrade | Undisclosed |
| 3 January 2017 | MF | Samir Carruthers | Sheffield United | Undisclosed |

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 29 July 2016 | FW | George C Williams | Fulham | End of season |
| 31 August 2016 | FW | Ryan Colclough | Wigan Athletic | 1 January 2017 |
| 20 January 2017 | MF | Harvey Barnes | Leicester City | End of season |
| 30 January 2017 | FW | Maecky Ngombo | Fortuna Düsseldorf | End of season |
| 31 January 2017 | MF | Stuart O'Keefe | Cardiff City | End of season |

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
| 31 January 2017 | FW | Kabongo Tshimanga | Yeovil Town | End of season | |
* ↑ Mutual contract termination.
* ↑ Recalled. Originally until end of season.