# 2021–22 Milton Keynes Dons F.C. season

The 2021–22 season was Milton Keynes Dons' 18th season in their existence, and the club's third consecutive season in League One. The club also competed in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.
The season covers the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

## Managerial change

On 1 August 2021, manager Russell Martin departed the club to take up the vacant managerial position at Swansea City, with the buyout clause in his contract activated. On 3 August 2021, the club announced captain Dean Lewington would take over as interim manager whilst a permanent replacement was sought.
A successor was announced on 13 August 2021, with Liam Manning being revealed as the club's first ever Head Coach.

## Pre-season friendlies

Milton Keynes Dons announced they will play friendly matches against King's Lynn Town, Chelmsford City, Bristol City and Tottenham Hotspur as part of their pre-season preparations.
| Win | Draw | Loss | Postponed |
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 13 July 2021 – 19:00 | King's Lynn Town | Away | 3–1 | Twine (2), Watters | |
| 17 July 2021 – 11:00 | Maidenhead United | Away | 3–1 | Trialist (2), Bird | |
| 19 July 2021 – 20:00 | Chelmsford City | Away | P–P | | |
| 21 July 2021 – 11:00 | Coventry City | Neutral | 7–1 | Bird, Watters (2), Twine, O'Riley (2), Darling | |
| 24 July 2021 – 13:30 | Bristol City | Away | 1–3 | Bird | |
| 28 July 2021 – 19:45 | Tottenham Hotspur | Home | 1–3 | Freeman | 15,795 |
* ↑ 2 x 60 minute matches.
* ↑ Behind closed doors. 2 x 60 minute matches.
* ↑ Milton Keynes Dons XI side.
* ↑ Behind closed doors. 2 x 60 minute matches.

## Competitions
### League One

League table
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Wigan Athletic (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 82 | 44 | +38 | 92 | Promotion to EFL Championship |
| 2 | Rotherham United (P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 33 | +37 | 90 | Promotion to EFL Championship |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 44 | +34 | 89 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 85 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 5 | Sunderland (O, P) | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 79 | 53 | +26 | 84 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 6 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 75 | 51 | +24 | 83 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 68 | 48 | +20 | 80 | |
| 8 | Oxford United | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 59 | +23 | 76 | |
Results summary
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 30 April 2022. Source: BBC
Results by matchday
| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | L | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | D | L | L | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | D | L | W | D | D | W | W | L | W | W | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | L | L | W | W |
| Position | 8 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 7 August 2021 – 15:00 | Bolton Wanderers | Away | 3–3 | Eisa, Twine, Boateng | 16,087 |
| 14 August 2021 – 15:00 | Sunderland | Home | 1–2 | Parrott | 9,830 |
| 17 August 2021 – 19:45 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 2–1 | Parrott, Eisa | 7,939 |
| 21 August 2021 – 15:00 | Ipswich Town | Away | 2–2 | Twine, O'Riley | 18,622 |
| 28 August 2021 – 15:00 | Accrington Stanley | Home | 2–0 | Eisa, O'Riley | 6,816 |
| 4 September 2021 – 15:00 | Cheltenham Town | Away | 1–1 | Boateng | 3,704 |
| 11 September 2021 – 15:00 | Portsmouth | Home | 1–0 | Robson | 10,822 |
| 18 September 2021 – 15:00 | Gillingham | Away | 4–1 | Twine, Kioso, Ehmer (o.g.), Watters | 4,119 |
| 25 September 2021 – 15:00 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 1–0 | Parrott | 9,355 |
| 28 September 2021 – 19:45 | Fleetwood Town | Home | 3–3 | Twine (3) | 6,564 |
| 2 October 2021 – 15:00 | Doncaster Rovers | Away | 1–2 | Kioso | 5,927 |
| 16 October 2021 – 15:00 | Shrewsbury Town | Away | 0–1 | | 5,711 |
| 19 October 2021 – 19:45 | Wigan Athletic | Away | 2–1 | Kioso, Darikwa (o.g.) | 8,351 |
| 23 October 2021 – 15:00 | Rotherham United | Home | 0–3 | | 8,448 |
| 30 October 2021 – 15:00 | Crewe Alexandra | Away | 4–1 | Eisa, O'Riley, Kioso, Watters | 4,512 |
| 13 November 2021 – 15:00 | Cambridge United | Home | 4–1 | Twine (2), Watters (2) | 9,904 |
| 20 November 2021 – 15:00 | Burton Albion | Home | 1–0 | Watters | 9,770 |
| 23 November 2021 – 19:45 | Sheffield Wednesday | Away | 1–2 | Twine | 18,581 |
| 27 November 2021 – 15:00 | Morecambe | Away | 4–0 | Eisa, O'Riley (2), Darling | 3,700 |
| 8 December 2021 – 19:45 | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 1–1 | Watson | 7,566 |
| 11 December 2021 – 15:00 | Oxford United | Home | 1–2 | Boateng | 9,914 |
| 26 December 2021 – 15:00 | Lincoln City | Away | 3–2 | Twine (2), O'Riley | 8,328 |
| 1 January 2022 – 15:00 | Gillingham | Home | 0–0 | | 7,891 |
| 8 January 2022 – 15:00 | Accrington Stanley | Away | 1–1 | Eisa | 1,880 |
| 11 January 2022 – 19:45 | AFC Wimbledon | Home | 1–0 | O'Riley | 7,663 |
| 15 January 2022 – 15:00 | Portsmouth | Away | 2–1 | Eisa, Corbeanu | 14,958 |
| 22 January 2022 – 15:00 | Doncaster Rovers | Home | 0–1 | | 7,229 |
| 25 January 2022 – 19:45 | Burton Albion | Away | 1–0 | Twine | 2,171 |
| 29 January 2022 – 15:00 | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 1–0 | Twine | 7,345 |
| 5 February 2022 – 15:00 | Lincoln City | Home | 2–1 | Darling, O'Hora | 8,723 |
| 8 February 2022 – 19:45 | Fleetwood Town | Away | 1–1 | Darling | 3,227 |
| 12 February 2022 – 15:00 | Ipswich Town | Home | 0–0 | | 15,311 |
| 19 February 2022 – 15:00 | Sunderland | Away | 2–1 | Eisa, Wickham | 30,451 |
| 22 February 2022 – 19:45 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 2–0 | Watson, Kesler Hayden | 8,807 |
| 26 February 2022 – 15:00 | Bolton Wanderers | Home | 2–0 | Eisa, Twine | 10,388 |
| 5 March 2022 – 15:00 | Rotherham United | Away | 2–1 | Darling, Eisa | 9,731 |
| 8 March 2022 – 19:45 | Cheltenham Town | Home | 3–1 | Parrott (2), Eisa | 6,894 |
| 12 March 2022 – 15:00 | Wigan Athletic | Home | 1–1 | Darling | 11,193 |
| 19 March 2022 – 15:00 | Cambridge United | Away | 1–0 | O'Hora | 6,325 |
| 2 April 2022 – 15:00 | Shrewsbury Town | Home | 2–0 | Eisa, Twine | 8,984 |
| 5 April 2022 – 19:45 | Crewe Alexandra | Home | 2–1 | Parrott, Coventry | 7,315 |
| 9 April 2022 – 15:00 | AFC Wimbledon | Away | 1–1 | Parrott | 7,841 |
| 16 April 2022 – 19:45 | Sheffield Wednesday | Home | 2–3 | Parrott, Twine | 14,252 |
| 19 April 2022 – 19:45 | Oxford United | Away | 0–1 | | 9,685 |
| 23 April 2022 – 15:00 | Morecambe | Home | 2–0 | Darling, Harvie | 10,101 |
| 30 April 2022 – 12:30 | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 5–0 | Twine (4), Darling | 15,644 |

### Play-offs

Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| 5 May 2022 – 19:45 | Semi-final 1st leg | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 0–2 | | 8,987 | |
| 8 May 2022 – 18:30 | Semi-final 2nd leg | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 1–0 | Parrott | 13,012 | |

### FA Cup

Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| 6 November 2021 – 15:00 | First round | Stevenage | Home | 2–2 | Darling, Watters | 2,860 | |
| 16 November 2021 – 19:45 | First round (replay) | Stevenage | Away | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Darling | 1,876 | |

### EFL Cup

Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| 31 July 2021 – 15:00 | First round | Bournemouth | Away | 0–5 | | 5,746 | |

### EFL Trophy

Southern Group C table
| Pos | Div | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | ACA | Aston Villa U21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 9 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | L1 | Burton Albion | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | L1 | Wycombe Wanderers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 | |
Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
| 31 August 2021 – 19:00 | Group game 1 | Burton Albion | Away | 2–1 | Bird, Darling | 690 |
| 5 October 2021 – 19:00 | Group game 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 2–1 | Boateng, Jules | 1,320 |
| 26 October 2021 – 19:00 | Group game 3 | Aston Villa U21 | Home | 2–4 | Parrott, Watters | 2,683 |
| 30 November 2021 – 19:00 | Second round | Leyton Orient | Away | 0–0 (5–4 p) | | 990 |
| 4 January 2022 – 19:00 | Round of 16 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 0–1 | | 1,653 |

## Player details

    Note: Players' ages as of the club's final match of the 2021–22 season.
| # | Name | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Transfer fee |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | Jamie Cumming | GK | (1999-09-04)4 September 1999 (aged 22) | Chelsea | 2022 | Loan |
| 23 | Franco Ravizzoli | GK | (1997-07-09)9 July 1997 (aged 24) | Eastbourne Borough | 2021 | Free |
| 33 | Ronnie Sandford | GK | (2005-02-24)24 February 2005 (aged 17) | Academy | 2021 | Trainee |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | Tennai Watson | RWB | (1997-03-04)4 March 1997 (aged 25) | Free agent | 2021 | Free |
| 3 | Dean Lewington | CB | (1984-05-18)18 May 1984 (aged 37) | Wimbledon | 2004 | Free |
| 5 | Warren O'Hora | CB | (1999-04-19)19 April 1999 (aged 23) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2021 | Undisclosed |
| 6 | Harry Darling | CB | (1999-08-08)8 August 1999 (aged 22) | Cambridge United | 2021 | Undisclosed |
| 15 | Aden Baldwin | CB | (1997-06-10)10 June 1997 (aged 24) | Free agent | 2021 | Free |
| 21 | Daniel Harvie | LWB | (1998-07-14)14 July 1998 (aged 23) | Ayr United | 2020 | Undisclosed |
| 26 | Jack Davies | CB | (2002-12-03)3 December 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2020 | Trainee |
| 29 | Kaine Kesler Hayden | RWB | (2002-10-23)23 October 2002 (aged 19) | Aston Villa | 2022 | Loan |
| 31 | Brandon Mason | LWB | (1997-09-30)30 September 1997 (aged 24) | Free agent | 2022 | Free |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 7 | Matt Smith | CM | (1999-11-22)22 November 1999 (aged 22) | Manchester City | 2022 | Undisclosed |
| 8 | David Kasumu | CM | (1999-10-05)5 October 1999 (aged 22) | Academy | 2017 | Trainee |
| 9 | Scott Twine | AM | (1999-07-14)14 July 1999 (aged 22) | Swindon Town | 2021 | Compensation |
| 14 | Conor Coventry | CM | (2000-03-25)25 March 2000 (aged 22) | West Ham United | 2022 | Loan |
| 16 | Josh McEachran | CM | (1993-03-01)1 March 1993 (aged 29) | Free agent | 2021 | Free |
| 17 | Dan Kemp | AM | (1999-01-11)11 January 1999 (aged 23) | Leyton Orient | 2022 | Undisclosed |
| 18 | Hiram Boateng | CM | (1996-01-08)8 January 1996 (aged 26) | Exeter City | 2019 | Compensation |
| 22 | John Freeman | CM | (2001-11-04)4 November 2001 (aged 20) | Academy | 2019 | Trainee |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 10 | Mo Eisa | CF | (1994-07-12)12 July 1994 (aged 27) | Peterborough United | 2021 | Undisclosed |
| 11 | Theo Corbeanu | RW | (2002-05-17)17 May 2002 (aged 19) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2022 | Loan |
| 19 | Connor Wickham | CF | (1993-03-31)31 March 1993 (aged 29) | Free agent | 2022 | Free |
| 20 | Troy Parrott | CF | (2002-02-04)4 February 2002 (aged 20) | Tottenham Hotspur | 2021 | Loan |
| 24 | Jay Bird | CF | (2001-05-06)6 May 2001 (aged 21) | Academy | 2019 | Trainee |
| Out on loan ||||||||
| 4 | Zak Jules | CB | (1997-07-02)2 July 1997 (aged 24) | Walsall | 2021 | Undisclosed |
| 25 | Brooklyn Ilunga | LWB | (2003-11-21)21 November 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2021 | Trainee |
| 27 | Lewis Johnson | LW | (2004-11-09)9 November 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2020 | Trainee |
| Left club during season ||||||||
| 1 | Andy Fisher | GK | (1998-02-12)12 February 1998 (aged 24) | Blackburn Rovers | 2020 | Undisclosed |
| 7 | Matt O'Riley | AM | (2000-11-21)21 November 2000 (aged 21) | Free agent | 2021 | Free |
| 11 | Charlie Brown | CF | (1999-09-23)23 September 1999 (aged 22) | Chelsea | 2021 | Undisclosed |
| 12 | Laurie Walker | GK | (1989-10-14)14 October 1989 (aged 32) | Free agent | 2021 | Free |
| 14 | Josh Martin | LW | (2001-09-09)9 September 2001 (aged 20) | Norwich City | 2021 | Loan |
| 17 | Ethan Robson | CM | (1996-10-25)25 October 1996 (aged 25) | Blackpool | 2021 | Loan |
| 31 | Peter Kioso | RWB | (1999-08-15)15 August 1999 (aged 22) | Luton Town | 2021 | Loan |
| 36 | Max Watters | CF | (1999-03-23)23 March 1999 (aged 23) | Cardiff City | 2021 | Loan |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2021 | GK | Franco Ravizzoli | Eastbourne Borough | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2021 | AM | Scott Twine | Swindon Town | Compensation |
| 13 July 2021 | CB | Aden Baldwin | Bristol City | Free transfer |
| 20 July 2021 | CF | Mo Eisa | Peterborough United | Undisclosed |
| 28 July 2021 | RWB | Tennai Watson | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 21 January 2022 | CF | Connor Wickham | Free agent | Free transfer |
| 31 January 2022 | DM | Matt Smith | Manchester City | Undisclosed |
| 31 January 2022 | AM | Dan Kemp | Leyton Orient | Undisclosed |
| 18 March 2022 | LWB | Brandon Mason | Free agent | Free transfer |

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 1 July 2021 | LW | Josh Martin | Norwich City | 17 January 2022 |
| 1 July 2021 | CM | Ethan Robson | Blackpool | 17 January 2022 |
| 8 July 2021 | CF | Max Watters | Cardiff City | 30 December 2021 |
| 29 July 2021 | CF | Troy Parrott | Tottenham Hotspur | End of season |
| 31 August 2021 | RWB | Peter Kioso | Luton Town | 18 January 2022 |
| 6 January 2022 | RW | Theo Corbeanu | Wolverhampton Wanderers | End of season |
| 13 January 2022 | GK | Jamie Cumming | Chelsea | End of season |
| 18 January 2022 | DM | Conor Coventry | West Ham United | End of season |
| 31 January 2022 | RWB | Kaine Kesler Hayden | Aston Villa | End of season |
* ↑ Originally until the end of the season. Recalled early by Norwich City.
* ↑ Originally until the end of the season. Recalled early by Blackpool.
* ↑ Originally until the end of the season. Recalled early by Cardiff City.
* ↑ Originally until the end of the season. Recalled early by Luton Town.

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 12 August 2021 | DF | Jack Davies | Oxford City | 21 January 2022 |
| 17 August 2021 | GK | Laurie Walker | Oldham Athletic | 24 August 2021 |
| 29 September 2021 | CF | Jay Bird | Wealdstone | January 2022 |
| 29 October 2021 | GK | Laurie Walker | Aldershot Town | January 2022 |
| 26 November 2021 | FW | Lewis Johnson | Banbury United | 25 February 2022 |
| 7 January 2022 | MF | John Freeman | Chelmsford City | January 2022 |
| 15 January 2022 | CB | Zak Jules | Fleetwood Town | End of season |
| 22 February 2022 | FW | Brooklyn Ilunga | Royston Town | End of season |
| 23 March 2022 | FW | Lewis Johnson | AFC Rushden & Diamonds | End of season |
* ↑ Originally until end of the season. Recalled early on 21 January 2022.
* ↑ Originally until end of the season. Recalled early on 25 February 2022.

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 30 June 2021 | CF | Kieran Agard | Plymouth Argyle | Released |
| 30 June 2021 | DM | Jordan Houghton | Plymouth Argyle | Released |
| 30 June 2021 | CF | Cameron Jerome | Luton Town | Free transfer |
| 30 June 2021 | CF | Joe Mason | Cavalry | Released |
| 30 June 2021 | GK | Lee Nicholls | Huddersfield Town | Released |
| 30 June 2021 | LB | Matthew Sorinola | Royale Union Saint-Gilloise | Compensation |
| 30 June 2021 | CM | Andrew Surman | Retired | Retired |
| 5 July 2021 | CF | Sam Nombe | Exeter City | Undisclosed |
| 14 July 2021 | AM | Scott Fraser | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| 26 July 2021 | CM | Ben Gladwin | Swindon Town | Free transfer |
| 6 January 2022 | CF | Charlie Brown | Cheltenham Town | Undisclosed |
| 6 January 2022 | GK | Laurie Walker | Stevenage | Undisclosed |
| 11 January 2022 | GK | Andy Fisher | Swansea City | £400,000 |
| 20 January 2022 | AM | Matt O'Riley | Celtic | £1,500,000 |

## Awards

* EFL League One Manager of the Month (September): Liam Manning
* EFL Young Player of the Month (October): Matt O'Riley
* EFL League One Player of the Month (November): Scott Twine
* EFL League One Manager of the Month (January): Liam Manning
* EFL League One Team of the Season: Harry Darling, Scott Twine
* EFL League One Player of the Season: Scott Twine
* PFA Team of the Year: Harry Darling, Scott Twine