Setting Saturday’s scene:
After a weekend away from competitive football, due to last Saturday’s postponed fixture against Doncaster due to a waterlogged pitch, Micky Mellon’s men are next in action this Saturday (2/11/19) as they travel to Stadium MK to face Paul Tisdale’s ‘Dons’.
Tranmere come into this game as favourites, the hosts failing to win one of their past eight league fixtures. Paul Tisdale’s side sit in 20th, a league place below Tranmere. Thus, Mellon’s men will be hoping to win in Buckinghamshire to widen the gap between themselves and Saturday’s hosts.
Team news:
Tranmere forward Stefan Payne will sit out of Saturday’s game due to suspension, after picking up 5 yellow cards.
Ollie Banks, Mark Ellis, Harvey Gilmour, Evan Gumbs, Callum Woods, Ishmael Miller and Jordan Ponticelli all remain sidelined with injury.
Morgan Ferrier, although being close to a competitive return, remains on the sideline with an injury.
Darren Potter and Corey Blackett-Taylor could come back into the Rovers line-up, after both recently recovered from injuries.
One to watch:
Alex Gilbey is Paul Tisdale’s side ‘one to watch’. The midfielder, who arrived in Buckinghamshire in August 2017 from Wigan Athletic, has made over 70 appearances and achieved promotion with his side since joining more than two years ago. Gilbey started his professional career at Colchester United in 2012, where he made more than 100 appearances either side of a spell on loan at Newport County. At Newport County, Alex Gilbey achieved another promotion as he guided his side to National league promotion in 2013. In June 2016, he rose to a higher level of the football league as he joined Wigan Athletic. He represented the latics 20 times in the Sky Bet championship.
Match officials:
Matthew Donohue, from Greater Manchester, is the man in the middle this Saturday. The Manchester born referee has officiated 14 fixtures so far this season, one being an international friendly, he has awarded 53 yellow cards and 1 red card.
Liners Phil Dermott and Mark Russell will assist Matthew Donohue from the sideline.
The fourth official for Saturday’s fixture is Paul Howard.
Past meetings:
There has been 18 competitive fixtures featuring both clubs. The first of the 18 coming in November 2004 as Tranmere won 2-0.
Tranmere have won 6.
There have been 2 draws.
MK have won 10.
Did you know:
Although being inferior in terms of the overall record of matches, Tranmere are unbeaten in the last four fixtures against MK.