| 2021–22 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Pete Winkelman[1] | |||
| Head Coach | Russell Martin (until 31 July)[2] Dean Lewington (interim) (from 3 August until 13 August)[3] Liam Manning (from 13 August)[4] | |||
| Stadium | Stadium MK | |||
| League One | 3rd (qualified forplay-offs) | |||
| FA Cup | First round (eliminated byStevenage) | |||
| EFL Cup | First round (eliminated byBournemouth) | |||
| EFL Trophy | Round of 16 (eliminated byCharlton Athletic) | |||
| Top goalscorer | League:Scott Twine (20) All: Scott Twine (20) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 15,311 (vsIpswich Town) 12 February 2022, League One[5] | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 1,320 (vsWycombe Wanderers) 5 October 2021, EFL Trophy GS | |||
| Average home league attendance | 9,314[6] | |||
| Biggest win | 5–0 vsPlymouth Argyle 30 April 2022, League One | |||
| Biggest defeat | 0–5 vsBournemouth, 31 July 2021, EFL Cup R1 | |||
The2021–22 season wasMilton Keynes Dons' 18th season in their existence, and the club's third consecutive season inLeague One. The club also competed in theFA Cup,EFL Cup andEFL Trophy.
The season covers the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.
On 1 August 2021, managerRussell Martin departed the club to take up the vacant managerial position atSwansea City, with the buyout clause in his contract activated.[2] On 3 August 2021, the club announced captainDean Lewington would take over as interim manager whilst a permanent replacement was sought.[7]
A successor was announced on 13 August 2021, withLiam Manning being revealed as the club's first ever Head Coach.[4]
Milton Keynes Dons announced they will playfriendly matches againstKing's Lynn Town,[8]Chelmsford City,[9]Bristol City[10] andTottenham Hotspur[11] as part of their pre-season preparations.
| Win | Draw | Loss | Postponed |
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 July 2021 – 19:00 | King's Lynn Town | Away | 3–1 | Twine (2),Watters | [12][a] | |
| 17 July 2021 – 11:00 | Maidenhead United | Away | 3–1 | Trialist (2),Bird | [13][b] | |
| 19 July 2021 – 20:00 | Chelmsford City | Away | P–P[14] | [15][c] | ||
| 21 July 2021 – 11:00 | Coventry City | Neutral | 7–1 | Bird, Watters (2), Twine,O'Riley (2),Darling | [16][d] | |
| 24 July 2021 – 13:30 | Bristol City | Away | 1–3 | Bird | [17] | |
| 28 July 2021 – 19:45 | Tottenham Hotspur | Home | 1–3 | Freeman | 15,795 | [18] |
League table
| Pos | Team | 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 toEFL Championship |
| 2 | Rotherham United(P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 33 | +37 | 90 | |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 44 | +34 | 89 | Qualification forLeague One play-offs |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 85 | |
| 5 | Sunderland(O, P) | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 79 | 53 | +26 | 84 | |
| 6 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 75 | 51 | +24 | 83 | |
| 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 | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 44 | +34 | 89 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 21 | +13 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 44 | 23 | +21 |
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 | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 August 2021 – 15:00 | Bolton Wanderers | Away | 3–3 | Eisa,Twine,Boateng | 16,087 | [20] |
| 14 August 2021 – 15:00 | Sunderland | Home | 1–2 | Parrott | 9,830 | [21] |
| 17 August 2021 – 19:45 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 2–1 | Parrott, Eisa | 7,939 | [22] |
| 21 August 2021 – 15:00 | Ipswich Town | Away | 2–2 | Twine,O'Riley | 18,622 | [23] |
| 28 August 2021 – 15:00 | Accrington Stanley | Home | 2–0 | Eisa, O'Riley | 6,816 | [24] |
| 4 September 2021 – 15:00 | Cheltenham Town | Away | 1–1 | Boateng | 3,704 | [25] |
| 11 September 2021 – 15:00 | Portsmouth | Home | 1–0 | Robson | 10,822 | [26] |
| 18 September 2021 – 15:00 | Gillingham | Away | 4–1 | Twine,Kioso,Ehmer (o.g.),Watters | 4,119 | [27] |
| 25 September 2021 – 15:00 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 1–0 | Parrott | 9,355 | [28] |
| 28 September 2021 – 19:45 | Fleetwood Town | Home | 3–3 | Twine (3) | 6,564 | [29] |
| 2 October 2021 – 15:00 | Doncaster Rovers | Away | 1–2 | Kioso | 5,927 | [30] |
| 16 October 2021 – 15:00 | Shrewsbury Town | Away | 0–1 | 5,711 | [31] | |
| 19 October 2021 – 19:45 | Wigan Athletic | Away | 2–1 | Kioso,Darikwa (o.g.) | 8,351 | [32] |
| 23 October 2021 – 15:00 | Rotherham United | Home | 0–3 | 8,448 | [33] | |
| 30 October 2021 – 15:00 | Crewe Alexandra | Away | 4–1 | Eisa, O'Riley, Kioso, Watters | 4,512 | [34] |
| 13 November 2021 – 15:00 | Cambridge United | Home | 4–1 | Twine (2), Watters (2) | 9,904 | [35] |
| 20 November 2021 – 15:00 | Burton Albion | Home | 1–0 | Watters | 9,770 | [36] |
| 23 November 2021 – 19:45 | Sheffield Wednesday | Away | 1–2 | Twine | 18,581 | [37] |
| 27 November 2021 – 15:00 | Morecambe | Away | 4–0 | Eisa, O'Riley (2),Darling | 3,700 | [38] |
| 8 December 2021 – 19:45 | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 1–1 | Watson | 7,566 | [39] |
| 11 December 2021 – 15:00 | Oxford United | Home | 1–2 | Boateng | 9,914 | [40] |
| 26 December 2021 – 15:00 | Lincoln City | Away | 3–2 | Twine (2), O'Riley | 8,328 | [41] |
| 1 January 2022 – 15:00 | Gillingham | Home | 0–0 | 7,891 | [42] | |
| 8 January 2022 – 15:00 | Accrington Stanley | Away | 1–1 | Eisa | 1,880 | [43] |
| 11 January 2022 – 19:45 | AFC Wimbledon | Home | 1–0 | O'Riley | 7,663 | [44] |
| 15 January 2022 – 15:00 | Portsmouth | Away | 2–1 | Eisa,Corbeanu | 14,958 | [45] |
| 22 January 2022 – 15:00 | Doncaster Rovers | Home | 0–1 | 7,229 | [46] | |
| 25 January 2022 – 19:45 | Burton Albion | Away | 1–0 | Twine | 2,171 | [47] |
| 29 January 2022 – 15:00 | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 1–0 | Twine | 7,345 | [48] |
| 5 February 2022 – 15:00 | Lincoln City | Home | 2–1 | Darling,O'Hora | 8,723 | [49] |
| 8 February 2022 – 19:45 | Fleetwood Town | Away | 1–1 | Darling | 3,227 | [50] |
| 12 February 2022 – 15:00 | Ipswich Town | Home | 0–0 | 15,311 | [5] | |
| 19 February 2022 – 15:00 | Sunderland | Away | 2–1 | Eisa,Wickham | 30,451 | [51] |
| 22 February 2022 – 19:45 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 2–0 | Watson,Kesler Hayden | 8,807 | [52] |
| 26 February 2022 – 15:00 | Bolton Wanderers | Home | 2–0 | Eisa, Twine | 10,388 | [53] |
| 5 March 2022 – 15:00 | Rotherham United | Away | 2–1 | Darling, Eisa | 9,731 | [54] |
| 8 March 2022 – 19:45 | Cheltenham Town | Home | 3–1 | Parrott (2), Eisa | 6,894 | [55] |
| 12 March 2022 – 15:00 | Wigan Athletic | Home | 1–1 | Darling | 11,193 | [56] |
| 19 March 2022 – 15:00 | Cambridge United | Away | 1–0 | O'Hora | 6,325 | [57] |
| 2 April 2022 – 15:00 | Shrewsbury Town | Home | 2–0 | Eisa, Twine | 8,984 | [58] |
| 5 April 2022 – 19:45 | Crewe Alexandra | Home | 2–1 | Parrott,Coventry | 7,315 | [59] |
| 9 April 2022 – 15:00 | AFC Wimbledon | Away | 1–1 | Parrott | 7,841 | [60] |
| 16 April 2022 – 19:45 | Sheffield Wednesday | Home | 2–3 | Parrott, Twine | 14,252 | [61] |
| 19 April 2022 – 19:45 | Oxford United | Away | 0–1 | 9,685 | [62] | |
| 23 April 2022 – 15:00 | Morecambe | Home | 2–0 | Darling,Harvie | 10,101 | [63] |
| 30 April 2022 – 12:30 | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 5–0 | Twine (4), Darling | 15,644 | [64] |
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 | [65] | |
| 8 May 2022 – 18:30 | Semi-final 2nd leg | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 1–0 | Parrott | 13,012 | [66] |
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 | [67] |
| 16 November 2021 – 19:45 | First round (replay) | Stevenage | Away | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Darling | 1,876 | [68] |
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 | [69] |
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 toRound 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| 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 | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2021 – 19:00 | Group game 1 | Burton Albion | Away | 2–1 | Bird,Darling | 690 | [70] |
| 5 October 2021 – 19:00 | Group game 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 2–1 | Boateng,Jules | 1,320 | [71] |
| 26 October 2021 – 19:00 | Group game 3 | Aston Villa U21 | Home | 2–4 | Parrott,Watters | 2,683 | [72] |
| 30 November 2021 – 19:00 | Second round | Leyton Orient | Away | 0–0(5–4p) | 990 | [73] | |
| 4 January 2022 – 19:00 | Round of 16 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 0–1 | 1,653 | [74] |
| # | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Transfer fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| 1 | Jamie Cumming | GK | (1999-09-04)4 September 1999 (aged 22) | 2022 | Loan | ||
| 23 | Franco Ravizzoli | GK | (1997-07-09)9 July 1997 (aged 24) | 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) | 2004 | Free | ||
| 5 | Warren O'Hora | CB | (1999-04-19)19 April 1999 (aged 23) | 2021 | Undisclosed | ||
| 6 | Harry Darling | CB | (1999-08-08)8 August 1999 (aged 22) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 2021 | Compensation | ||
| 14 | Conor Coventry | CM | (2000-03-25)25 March 2000 (aged 22) | 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) | 2022 | Undisclosed | ||
| 18 | Hiram Boateng | CM | (1996-01-08)8 January 1996 (aged 26) | 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) | 2021 | Undisclosed | ||
| 11 | Theo Corbeanu | RW | (2002-05-17)17 May 2002 (aged 19) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 2021 | Loan | ||
| 17 | Ethan Robson | CM | (1996-10-25)25 October 1996 (aged 25) | 2021 | Loan | ||
| 31 | Peter Kioso | RWB | (1999-08-15)15 August 1999 (aged 22) | 2021 | Loan | ||
| 36 | Max Watters | CF | (1999-03-23)23 March 1999 (aged 23) | 2021 | Loan | ||
| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2021 | GK | Eastbourne Borough | Free transfer | [75] | |
| AM | Swindon Town | Compensation | [76] | ||
| 13 July 2021 | CB | Bristol City | Free transfer | [77] | |
| 20 July 2021 | CF | Peterborough United | Undisclosed | [78] | |
| 28 July 2021 | RWB | Free agent | Free transfer | [79] | |
| 21 January 2022 | CF | [80] | |||
| 31 January 2022 | DM | Manchester City | Undisclosed | [81] | |
| AM | Leyton Orient | [82] | |||
| 18 March 2022 | LWB | Free agent | Free transfer | [83] |
| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2021 | LW | Norwich City | 17 January 2022[a] | [85] | |
| CM | Blackpool | 17 January 2022[b] | [87] | ||
| 8 July 2021 | CF | Cardiff City | 30 December 2021[c] | [89] | |
| 29 July 2021 | CF | Tottenham Hotspur | End of season | [90] | |
| 31 August 2021 | RWB | Luton Town | 18 January 2022[d] | [92] | |
| 6 January 2022 | RW | Wolverhampton Wanderers | End of season | [93] | |
| 13 January 2022 | GK | Chelsea | [94] | ||
| 18 January 2022 | DM | West Ham United | [95] | ||
| 31 January 2022 | RWB | Aston Villa | [96] |
| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 August 2021 | DF | Oxford City | 21 January 2022[a] | [97] | |
| 17 August 2021 | GK | Oldham Athletic | 24 August 2021 | [98] | |
| 29 September 2021 | CF | Wealdstone | January 2022 | [99] | |
| 29 October 2021 | GK | Aldershot Town | [100] | ||
| 26 November 2021 | FW | Banbury United | 25 February 2022[b] | [101] | |
| 7 January 2022 | MF | Chelmsford City | January 2022 | [102] | |
| 15 January 2022 | CB | Fleetwood Town | End of season | [103] | |
| 22 February 2022 | FW | Royston Town | [104] | ||
| 23 March 2022 | FW | AFC Rushden & Diamonds | [105] |
| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2021 | CF | Plymouth Argyle | Released | [106][107] | |
| DM | [106][108] | ||||
| CF | Luton Town | Free transfer | [109] | ||
| CF | Released | [106][110] | |||
| GK | Huddersfield Town | [106][111] | |||
| LB | Compensation | [112] | |||
| CM | Retired | [113][114][115] | |||
| 5 July 2021 | CF | Exeter City | Undisclosed | [116] | |
| 14 July 2021 | AM | Ipswich Town | [117] | ||
| 26 July 2021 | CM | Swindon Town | Free transfer | [118] | |
| 6 January 2022 | CF | Cheltenham Town | Undisclosed | [119] | |
| GK | Stevenage | [120] | |||
| 11 January 2022 | £400,000 | [121] | |||
| 20 January 2022 | AM | £1,500,000 | [122] | ||