2015–16 Milton Keynes Dons F.C. season

The 2015–16 season was Milton Keynes Dons's 12th season in their existence, and their first season in the Championship, the second tier of English football, having gained promotion from League One the previous season.^[2]

Milton Keynes Dons

2015–16 season
Chairman	Pete Winkelman
Manager	Karl Robinson
Stadium	Stadium MK
Championship	23rd (relegated to League One)
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Nicky Maynard (6) All: Nicky Maynard (7) Josh Murphy (7)
Highest home attendance	28,127 (vs Chelsea) 31 January 2016, FA Cup R4
Lowest home attendance	5,444 (vs Leyton Orient) 11 August 2015, League Cup R1
Average home league attendance	13,158[1]
Biggest win	1–4 (vs Rotherham United) 8 August 2015, Championship
Biggest defeat	0–6 (vs Southampton) 23 September 2015, League Cup R3
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2014–15 2016–17 →

Along with competing in the Championship, the club also participated in the FA Cup and League Cup.

The season covers the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.

Competitions

Championship

Main article: 2015–16 Football League Championship

Final table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
20	Fulham	46	12	15	19	66	79	–13	51
21	Rotherham United	46	13	10	23	53	71	–18	49
22	Charlton Athletic (R)	46	9	13	24	40	80	–40	40
23	Milton Keynes Dons (R)	46	9	12	25	39	69	–30	39
24	Bolton Wanderers (R)	46	5	15	26	41	81	–40	30

Source: Sky Sports

Matches

Win

Draw

Loss

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Ref
8 August 2015 – 15:00	Rotherham United	Away	4–1	Hall, Collins (o.g.), Bowditch, Baker	9,869	[3]
15 August 2015 – 15:00	Preston North End	Home	0–1		11,035	[4]
18 August 2015 – 19:45	Bolton Wanderers	Home	1–0	Powell	10,765	[5]
22 August 2015 – 15:00	Reading	Away	0–0		16,547	[6]
29 August 2015 – 15:00	Birmingham City	Home	0–2		14,626	[7]
12 September 2015 – 15:00	Middlesbrough	Away	0–2		21,448	[8]
15 September 2015 – 19:45	Burnley	Away	1–2	Baker	15,845	[9]
19 September 2015 – 15:00	Leeds United	Home	1–2	Church	19,284	[10]
26 September 2015 – 12:30	Derby County	Home	1–3	Murphy	13,554	[11]
3 October 2015 – 15:00	Bristol City	Away	1–1	Powell	14,535	[12]
17 October 2015 – 15:00	Blackburn Rovers	Home	3–0	Reeves (2), Church	11,548	[13]
20 October 2015 – 19:45	Huddersfield Town	Away	0–2		11,471	[14]
24 October 2015 – 15:00	Queens Park Rangers	Away	0–3		15,567	[15]
31 October 2015 – 15:00	Hull City	Home	0–2		15,360	[16]
3 November 2015 – 19:45	Charlton Athletic	Home	1–0	Bowditch	9,575	[17]
7 November 2015 – 15:00	Brighton & Hove Albion	Away	1–2	Maynard	23,661	[18]
21 November 2015 – 15:00	Fulham	Home	1–1	Bowditch	14,508	[19]
28 November 2015 – 15:00	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Away	0–0		19,814	[20]
5 December 2015 – 15:00	Brentford	Away	0–2		9,682	[21]
12 December 2015 – 15:00	Ipswich Town	Home	0–1		13,520	[22]
15 December 2015 – 19:45	Sheffield Wednesday	Home	2–1	Baker, Maynard	11,422	[23]
19 December 2015 – 15:00	Nottingham Forest	Away	1–2	Murphy	19,975	[24]
26 December 2015 – 15:00	Cardiff City	Home	2–1	Maynard, Murphy	12,510	[25]
28 December 2015 – 15:00	Birmingham City	Away	0–1		19,714	[26]
2 January 2016 – 15:00	Leeds United	Away	1–1	Hall	24,356	[27]
12 January 2016 – 19:45	Burnley	Home	0–5		10,011	[28]
16 January 2016 – 15:00	Reading	Home	1–0	Walsh	13,062	[29]
23 January 2016 – 15:00	Bolton Wanderers	Away	1–3	Murphy	13,932	[30]
6 February 2016 – 15:00	Cardiff City	Away	0–0		13,833	[31]
9 February 2016 – 19:45	Middlesbrough	Home	1–1	Bowditch	11,256	[32]
13 February 2016 – 15:00	Derby County	Away	1–0	Forster-Caskey	30,075	[33]
20 February 2016 – 15:00	Bristol City	Home	0–2		12,825	[34]
23 February 2016 – 19:45	Huddersfield Town	Home	1–1	Revell	9,402	[35]
27 February 2016 – 15:00	Blackburn Rovers	Away	2–3	Carruthers, Revell	12,693	[36]
5 March 2016 – 15:00	Queens Park Rangers	Home	2–0	Lewington, Reeves	14,796	[37]
8 March 2016 – 19:45	Charlton Athletic	Away	0–0		13,146	[38]
12 March 2016 – 15:00	Hull City	Away	1–1	Kay	16,183	[39]
19 March 2016 – 15:00	Brighton & Hove Albion	Home	1–2	Kay	21,345	[40]
2 April 2016 – 15:00	Fulham	Away	1–2	Murphy	17,588	[41]
5 April 2016 – 19:45	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Home	1–2	Maynard	12,131	[42]
9 April 2016 – 15:00	Rotherham United	Home	0–4		13,048	[43]
16 April 2016 – 15:00	Preston North End	Away	1–1	Maynard	10,457	[44]
19 April 2016 – 19:45	Sheffield Wednesday	Away	0–0		20,220	[45]
23 April 2016 – 15:00	Brentford	Home	1–4	Maynard	11,564	[46]
30 April 2016 – 15:00	Ipswich Town	Away	2–3	Revell	19,631	[47]
7 May 2016 – 15:00	Nottingham Forest	Home	1–2	Maynard	15,486	[48]

FA Cup

Main article: 2015–16 FA Cup

Matches

Win

Draw

Loss

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Ref
9 January 2016 – 15:00	Third round	Northampton Town	Away	2–2	Cresswell (o.g.), Maynard	5,878	[49]
19 January 2016 – 19:45	Third round (replay)	Northampton Town	Home	3–0	Reeves, Murphy, Church	15,133	[50]
31 January 2016 – 16:00	Fourth round	Chelsea	Home	1–5	Potter	28,127	[51]

League Cup

Main article: 2015–16 Football League Cup

Matches

Win

Draw

Loss

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Ref
11 August 2015 – 19:45	First round	Leyton Orient	Home	2–1	Baudry (o.g.), Baker	5,444	[52]
25 August 2015 – 19:45	Second round	Cardiff City	Home	2–1[a]	Baker, Murphy	5,617	[53]
23 September 2015 – 19:45	Third round	Southampton	Home	0–6		10,189	[54]

1. After extra time. Score 1–1 at the conclusion of 90 minutes.

Player details

Note: Players' ages as of the club's opening fixture of the 2015–16 season.

#	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Transfer fee
Goalkeepers
1	David Martin		GK	(1986-01-22)22 January 1986 (aged 29)	Liverpool	2010	Free
22	Cody Cropper		GK	(1993-02-16)16 February 1993 (aged 22)	Southampton	2016	Free
29	Charlie Burns		GK	(1995-05-27)27 May 1995 (aged 20)	Academy	2014	Trainee
Defenders
3	Dean Lewington		LB	(1984-05-18)18 May 1984 (aged 31)	Wimbledon	2004	Free
4	Matthew Upson		CB	(1979-04-18)18 April 1979 (aged 36)	Free agent	2015	Free
5	Kyle McFadzean		CB	(1987-02-28)28 February 1987 (aged 28)	Crawley Town	2014	Undisclosed
6	Antony Kay		CB	(1982-10-21)21 October 1982 (aged 32)	Huddersfield Town	2012	Free
12	Jordan Spence		RB	(1990-05-24)24 May 1990 (aged 25)	Free agent	2014	Free
16	Joe Walsh		CB	(1992-05-13)13 May 1992 (aged 23)	Crawley Town	2015	Undisclosed
21	George Baldock		RB	(1993-03-09)9 March 1993 (aged 22)	Academy	2009	Trainee
33	Oran Jackson		CB	(1998-10-16)16 October 1998 (aged 16)	Academy	2016	Trainee
24	Ben Tilney		LB	(1997-02-28)28 February 1997 (aged 18)	Academy	2014	Trainee
24	Harry Hickford		CB	(1996-06-23)23 June 1996 (aged 19)	Academy	2014	Trainee
40	Kevin Long		CB	(1990-08-18)18 August 1990 (aged 24)	Burnley	2016	Loan
Midfielders
7	Carl Baker		AM	(1982-12-26)26 December 1982 (aged 32)	Free agent	2014	Free
8	Darren Potter		DM	(1984-12-21)21 December 1984 (aged 30)	Sheffield Wednesday	2011	Free
10	Ben Reeves		AM	(1991-11-19)19 November 1991 (aged 23)	Free agent	2013	Free
14	Samir Carruthers		AM	(1993-04-04)4 April 1993 (aged 22)	Aston Villa	2014	Undisclosed
20	Giorgio Rasulo		CM	(1997-01-23)23 January 1997 (aged 18)	Academy	2012	Trainee
34	Connor Furlong		CM	(1998-02-07)7 February 1998 (aged 17)	Academy	2016	Trainee
44	Jake Forster-Caskey		CM	(1994-04-25)25 April 1994 (aged 21)	Brighton & Hove Albion	2016	Loan
Forwards
9	Dean Bowditch		LW	(1986-06-15)15 June 1986 (aged 29)	Yeovil Town	2011	Free
13	Jay Emmanuel-Thomas		CF	(1990-12-27)27 December 1990 (aged 24)	Queens Park Rangers	2016	Loan
17	Daniel Powell		LW	(1991-03-12)12 March 1991 (aged 24)	Academy	2008	Trainee
18	Alex Revell		CF	(1983-07-07)7 July 1983 (aged 32)	Cardiff City	2016	Free
27	Kabongo Tshimanga		CF	(1997-07-22)22 July 1997 (aged 18)	Academy	2014	Trainee
28	Nicky Maynard		CF	(1986-12-11)11 December 1986 (aged 28)	Free agent	2015	Free
33	Josh Murphy		LW	(1995-02-24)24 February 1995 (aged 20)	Norwich City	2015	Loan
Out on loan
2	Lee Hodson		RB	(1991-10-02)2 October 1991 (aged 23)	Free agent	2013	Free
11	Simon Church		CF	(1988-12-10)10 December 1988 (aged 26)	Charlton Athletic	2015	Free
19	Tom Hitchcock		CF	(1992-10-01)1 October 1992 (aged 22)	Queens Park Rangers	2014	Free
Left club during season
13	Sam Gallagher		CF	(1995-09-15)15 September 1995 (aged 19)	Southampton	2015	Loan
15	Mark Randall		CM	(1989-09-28)28 September 1989 (aged 25)	Free agent	2014	Free
18	Sergio Aguza		CM	(1992-09-02)2 September 1992 (aged 22)	Real Madrid Castilla	2015	Free
21	Dale Jennings		LW	(1992-12-21)21 December 1992 (aged 22)	Barnsley	2015	Free
23	Cristian Benavente		AM	(1994-05-19)19 May 1994 (aged 21)	Real Madrid Castilla	2015	Free
23	Jonny Williams		AM	(1993-10-09)9 October 1993 (aged 21)	Crystal Palace	2016	Loan
26	Tom Flanagan		CB	(1991-10-21)21 October 1991 (aged 23)	Academy	2010	Trainee
38	Rob Hall		RW	(1993-10-20)20 October 1993 (aged 21)	Bolton Wanderers	2015	Loan
39	Diego Poyet		CM	(1995-04-08)8 April 1995 (aged 20)	West Ham United	2015	Loan

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
1 July 2015	DF	Joe Walsh	Crawley Town	Undisclosed	[55]
	FW	Simon Church	Charlton Athletic	Free transfer	[56]
	GK	Cody Cropper	Southampton
	FW	Dale Jennings	Barnsley
17 July 2015	MF	Cristian Benavente	Real Madrid Castilla	Free transfer[a]	[57]
30 July 2015	DF	Matthew Upson	Free agent[b]	Free transfer
31 July 2015	MF	Sergio Aguza	Real Madrid Castilla	Free transfer[c]
22 September 2015	FW	Nicky Maynard	Free agent[d]	Free transfer	[58]
1 February 2016	FW	Alex Revell	Cardiff City	Free transfer[e]	[59]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
1 July 2015	MF	Danny Green	Released[f]		[57]
25 August 2015	DF	Tom Flanagan	Burton Albion	Free transfer[g]	[60]
5 January 2016	MF	Cristian Benavente	Released[h]		[61]
14 January 2016	MF	Mark Randall	Barnet	Free transfer[i]	[62]
16 January 2016	MF	Sergio Aguza	Released[j]		[63]

Loans in

Start date	Position	Name	From	End date	Ref.
28 July 2015	FW	Rob Hall	Bolton Wanderers	5 April 2016[k]	[57]
29 July 2015	FW	Sam Gallagher	Southampton	6 January 2016[l]
19 August 2015	MF	Diego Poyet	West Ham United	3 January 2016[m]	[60]
21 August 2015	FW	Josh Murphy	Norwich City	End of season
8 January 2016	MF	Jake Forster-Caskey	Brighton & Hove Albion	End of season	[62]
22 January 2016	MF	Jonny Williams	Crystal Palace	April 2016	[62]
1 February 2016	FW	Jay Emmanuel-Thomas	Queens Park Rangers	End of season	[59]
24 March 2016	DF	Kevin Long	Burnley		[64]

Loans out

Start date	Position	Name	To	End date	Ref.
1 July 2015	DF	George Baldock	Oxford United	28 January 2016[n]	[56]
7 August 2015	FW	Tom Hitchcock	Stevenage	October 2015[o]	[60]
6 November 2015	MF	Giorgio Rasulo	Oldham Athletic	6 January 2016	[65]
14 January 2016	DF	Harry Hickford	Dagenham & Redbridge	February 2016	[62]
1 February 2016	FW	Simon Church	Aberdeen	End of season	[59]
	DF	Lee Hodson	Kilmarnock
23 February 2016	FW	Tom Hitchcock	Crewe Alexandra

1. Mutual contract termination.
2. Previous club: Leicester City.
3. Mutual contract termination.
4. Previous club: Cardiff City.
5. Mutual contract termination.
6. Joined Luton Town on 4 July 2015.
7. Mutual contract termination.
8. Mutual contract termination. Joined Sporting Charleroi on 15 January 2016.
9. Mutual contract termination.
10. Mutual contract termination. Joined Ponferradina on 18 January 2016.
11. Recalled due to injury. Originally until end of season.
12. Recalled. Originally until end of season.
13. Recalled. Originally until end of season.
14. Recalled. Originally until end of season.
15. Extended. Originally until September 2015.