MK Dons Captain Gilbey Expresses Shame Over Significant Defeat

Alex Gilbey, captain of MK Dons and currently in his second tenure with the club, has stated that their 6-3 loss to Newport County must serve as a “wake-up call” for the team. This marked the first instance the Dons had conceded six goals in a league match since the club relocated to the city from Wimbledon 20 years ago. Despite this result, and a previous 1-0 home defeat against Gillingham, the team is positioned ninth in League Two, just one point outside the play-off places. “I didn’t expect that from this group. When you come away and do that, when you’ve got people travelling before Christmas, your fans, it’s embarrassing,” Gilbey informed BBC Three Counties Radio. He further elaborated, “They were miles better than us in every department. If that’s not a wake-up for us as a group of lads, then I don’t know what is. It’s humbling.” Bryn Morris and Bobby Kamwa each scored hat-tricks for Newport, while Luke Offord netted a double for MK Dons, with Joe White contributing one goal. Gilbey accused his team-mates of failing to win “one single battle” during the game. The 30-year-old added, “Mistakes happen, but it’s the bigger picture of getting out-run by people, people getting rag-dolled by players half their size. You can make mistakes, but when it comes to your pride, your identity and what you are as a man, it’s shocking.” The Dons are scheduled for two home matches immediately following Christmas, against Notts County and Crewe Alexandra, both teams currently positioned above them in the table. Head coach Scott Lindsey admitted his team had not performed to their usual standard throughout the entire game against Newport. He stated, “I’ll take responsibility, it’s my team, my tactics, my training methods, my fault.” Lindsey explained, “We went for a man-for-man press around the pitch, but we weren’t capable of dealing with their men at the top of the pitch well enough. I didn’t quite get it right and neither did the team.” He concluded, “We’ve got to take our medicine and get prepared for a busy period now.”