You are here: Home > Matches Attended > Match Review
Match Review
Match Number: 546
Date: Saturday 11th October 2008
Kick-Off: 12:15pm
Match: MK Dons 3 Carlisle United 1
Competition: Coca-Cola Football League One
Stadium: Brunton Park
Attendance: 11,194 (487)
Stadium Stats
No. of visits to stadium: 1
Total no. of stadiums visited: 101
Programme and Ticket
Photos
Review
Travel to match
Method of Travel: Train
Travelling time: 5hrs 5mins
Due to the lovely people at Sky Sports screening the match live and moving the kick-off I had to set the alarm for 4:15am in time to get the 5:21am train from Carlisle. This route is normally quicker but due to the line being closed between Preston and Crewe it had to be diverted via Manchester which added some time onto the journey. We arrived into Milton Keynes Central just after 10:25am.
Pre-Match
There was very little around the station other than concrete, straight
roads and roundabouts but we headed up towards the city centre and to
the weatherspoons pub. A quick pint in there then it was a taxi to the
stadium which only took 5 minutes. It's certainly not a short walk to
the ground anyway!
Stadium
The stadium was very impressive especially inside- the leg room and facilities
were the best I've ever known. Being able to see the pitch from the concourse
is something I've not know before and this is hopefully something all
new grounds will incorporate in the future.
Admission
Unfortunately it was £17 for away fans, despite the home fans only
having to pay £10 if bought before the day of the game. I spoke
to MK Dons about this and they can get away with this if they say it is
one of their local schemes to encourage new fans to the club. As mentioned
above the away end was excellent and the view was good.
Programme
It was £2.50 for the programme which is 50p cheaper than normal
these days. It was an ok read.
Food and Drink
A hot dog and chips were £6.00 (!!!) so I didn't bother despite
being very hungry. We'd had enough to drink on the train on the way so
I didn't bother going to the bar in the ground although this was closed
at half-time.
The Game
We were rubbish again and look like we could be in a relegation battle
this season. The same players are making the same mistakes and the manager
doesn't seem to be able to replace them or give others a chance.
Home Fans
Credit to MK Dons to get over 10,000 for a midday kick-off live on Sky.
I may not agree with what has happened their and with Wimbledon but there's
nothing you or I can do about it. They have a great setup and the support
will continue to grow especially with reduced ticket prices like today.
The atmosphere wasn't great but for a new club I didn't expect anything
different.
Away Fans
There was an excellent 487 Blues there but the noise and support for the
players was as poor as I've known. It isn't surprising though given recent
performances, results and the lack of activity from the board or manager
to change things.
Stewards / Police
There was very few police but plenty of stewards. There was one who asked
some fans in our group to sit down in the first half and during half time
he came over whilst we were on the concourse and spoke to us about it.
He was very polite, and made sure everything was ok with us. He was a
credit to the club.
The Ref
The referee was ok and there was no arguments over the penalty decision
that gave MK the third goal.
The Journey Home
Travelling time: 5hrs 25mins
Getting away from the ground in the taxi was dreadful- we only just made the train home. Leaving Milton Keynes Central at 14:48pm we were finally home in Carlisle at 20:13.
Statistics
Travel: £25.00
Ticket: £17.00
Programme: £2.50
Total: £44.50
Mileage: 520
Travelling time: 10hrs 30mins
Stadium character: 6/10
Facilities: 10/10
View of pitch: 9/10
Atmosphere home fans: 3/10
Atmosphere away fans: 2/10
Match Rating: 6/10
Wish to go back to stadium: 6/10
Photos
