 Sunday, 19th Sep 2010 09:42 by Col Dale failed to secure a fourth win on the trot, as they were held 1:1 by fellow high fliers Milton Keynes. Full match report now online. Confession time. I've not been to stadium:mk (which sounds like it should be accompanied by Sky Sports Super Sunday sound effects every time it is said) before. I missed the game where Nathan Stanton scored the winner for them, and I missed the game where Nathan Stanton got sent off. So I was more than a little surprised and disappointed on entering the ground to see they've not finished building it yet. Of course, due to reason mentioned above I'm probably the last person on the planet to realise that they are still only halfway through building it, but I had higher hopes that a trip to stadium:mk (BANG! BOOM! KABOOM!) would be more than just a trip to a slighter posher version of the Shay. Travelling to this game, I felt different to other games in League One that we've played so far. Up until now, I've felt a naive honesty towards our League One campaign so far. Believing that we've got more than enough to avoid relegation, each game has had a feeling of turning up and any result would be a bonus. I've not had half an eye on other results, there's been no concerns about League positions and should we get beaten, well that would just be something that would happen given we are punching way above our weight. But wins in our last three games has brought a whole new mentality. It's like Russell Osman and Mike Summerbee at half time in Escape to Victory, when they announce "We can win this" much to the amazement of their teammates and French tunnel builders. Are we really here in League One as bit part players, or is there a chance, however small, that we could have more than a part to play in the League One shake up this season? It was same again for the starting line up, as Keith Hill stuck by the same players who took all three points against Walsall last weekend. MK Dons lined up with former Man Utd beauty Luke Chadwick amongst their ranks, along with Dons stalwart Dean Lewington who has incurred the wrath of Dale supporters in years gone by for reasons long forgotten. The Dons went into this game chasing a club record sixth home win on the trot, and in the early stages they looked like trying to secure it whilst Dale fans were still setting into their fully cushioned seats. There were a couple of early exchanges from both sides with O'Grady reminding half the lower divisions what they missed out on with an early opportunity to take the lead. But after these early blows were traded, twenty minutes in, and we were in the lead. An exquisite pin point header from an MK Dons defender gave Jason Kennedy the ball at around the penalty spot with acres and acres of space around him, and he had all the time in the world to control it and finish. A horrible blunder from the Dons defender, but it was a certainly a forced error as Dale had them on the back foot. Kennedy's reaction to scoring was a little subdued in comparison to his last goal, and who could blame him after getting that red card at Brentford. I'm surprised we didn't see a 1930's firm hand shake from each of his team mates before returning to the half way line. And then ..... Oh dear. Have we such short memories that we have forgotten trips to Grimsby and Peterboro of yesteryear, where similar latest scores around the country have resulted in Dale being top of the league and the subsequent celebrations. We came scarily close to getting relegated one year when top of the league celebrations happened in December, so in September anything could happen. True enough, just a few minutes since taking the lead, the home side were back on level terms. Was it that song coming back to haunt us oh Footballing Gods? A corner came in and MK's Doumbe broke free of marker Elding to head home. Joe Widdowson tried in vain to clear it off the line but it was hope and hope alone that I clung to as it came off the underside of the net before being cleared. But if the Footballing Gods were to wreak their revenge on ditties of grandeur, then clearly we are made of far stronger stuff these days. Many a time, we'd have settled onto the back foot after conceding before ultimately crumbling to defeat. Not these days, as we seem to have developed an even stronger resilience than even in previous Keith Hill teams. It's almost as if we expect to concede at some stage (tho don't dare tell that to our defence) so heads dropping is simply not an option. That said, minutes after restoring equality, there was a brief scare when Jermaine Easter looked to have given the Dons a lead, when he broke clear of the Dale back line before controlling and finishing past Lillis. But rightly, the referee judged that he had handled in the build up to scoring, with Keith Hill bringing much relief to his namesake in the Dale dugout. The second half was a more open affair, and quite end to end at times with both sides showing intentions of victory, and if this was a typical example of League One football, then there'd be few complaints from any supporters. We don't need to have seen all 24 sides in League One to realise that the Dons are one of the better sides in the division. But then again, each week seems to be bringing further and further proof that we come into that exact same category, and a victory here today at stadium:mk would have gone a long way to cementing our place there. Chris O'Grady nearly did just that in the opening stages of the second half, when he came close to scoring for Dale. He did that usual O'Grady thing of cutting in from out wide, getting to the edge of the box before shooting early and trying to curl it just inside the far post with a low drive, but fortunately for our hosts, it went just wide of the post. Jonah came close to repeating his Southampton heroics, but clearly the MK Dons keeper has been keeping a close eye on Saturday night post-match of the day TV, and he brilliantly tipped over Jones' long range effort. Dale had a number of corners throughout the half, with perhaps an absence of a cutting edge. Slightly unfair that, as the home side defended well against them, and it was probably with respect to the Dons that we didn't commit as many people forward at corners as we might normally do. That said, it was very far from being a case of Dale bossing the second half. Dawson and Holness had to be on absolutely tip top form at the back, with the latter getting stronger and stronger with each game. The former Oldham trainee has this great ability of just shadowing his attacker on the edge of the box, nullifying all chance of a shot. Eventually, the Dons did break clear of the Dale back line, but in one opportunity a superb last gasp tackle by Dawson saved the day in a chance when normal thinking suggested he had no chance at all of doing so. The attacker was clean and through and getting caught by Dawson probably never even entered his thinking. His loss. However, another opportunity saw Lewis Guy get clear of any defender, but Josh Lillis proved to be in fine form as he bravely and confidently tackled at the feet of him. It was the sort of chance that more often than not sees the the attacker take full advantage for his side, winning both a penalty for his side, and a red card for the opposition. Not today, as Lillis was always going to swallow the ball up. As the game entered the last few minutes, Jermaine Easter had a golden opportunity for the Dons, when he had a free header at the back post, but inexplicably he headed a good couple of yards wide of the post much to the relief of the 500 Dale supporters in attendance. It was a match winning opportunity for the former Stockport man, or match drawing as it proved to be. So all in all, both sides would have been happy for a point at the final whistle, and yet again, we've gone away to a side who on paper we shouldn't be able to live with, but through a combination of tactics, confidence, teamwork and a stronger work ethic than the whole Trojan race, we've been rewarded with a richly deserved point, and its complete greed on my own part that I came away with a tinge of disappointment that one point wasn't three. Don't tell me we have League One expectations now. It could have gone either way, but there was almost a feeling of mutual respect amongst the players at the final whistle, or maybe I'm just not used to seeing at away games both sides leaving the field with a share of the spoils. The point was enough to take Dale back up to fifth place, and whilst it will take many, many weeks of being positioned in there before I start looking on it as anything other than a decent start to the season. But fifth is better than fifth bottom, and hopefully it might send a message to a few more to turn up at Spotland next weekend as it would appear that we're on the cusp of something special. The rest of us know we're already there. Links.........Rate The Players........Your Report Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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