Milton Keynes Dons NOT AFC Wimbledon

Milton Keynes Dons NOT AFC Wimbledon
boss Danny Wilson feels he has won more than just the battle to keep his side in League One. The Dons are still struggling to win the public relations battle of being tagged a 'franchise team' since their controversial move to Milton Keynes. Wilson said "I think there are one or two people who might have been smiling if we had been relegated. "But I think we won a few friends along the way, particularly at the back end of the campaign." For Wilson, the battle between winning hearts and minds or retaining League One status was a no-contest, especially with what the Dons have at stake. "We didn't want to drop into League Two," added Wilson, who was under no illusions as to what his task was. The Dons were six points adrift of safety and sliding downhill faster than Franz Klammer when they felt the need to inject Wilson's brand of pocket-dynamism that saw him take Barnsley to the Premiership and win the LDV Vans Trophy with Bristol City. Dons did not look an appetising prospect to manage and Wilson admits that owner and chairman Pete Winkelman had to perform a hard-sell on him. "They wanted a bit of experience and from their perspective they had to try and get me to accept the job," added Wilson. "He did have to sell the club to me but he did a fantastic job, even in the precarious position the club was in. "The remit of the job was there from day one - I had to keep the club in League One, there is a lot riding on it. "Work is due to start on the new stadium and we had to have a team in a respectable division. "But I always believed we could get out of trouble, otherwise I wouldn't have taken the job in the first place." Even Wilson's unshakeable belief must have taken a bit of a wobble in a tense end to the campaign. After embarking on an eight-match unbeaten run, which took them six points clear, the Dons then lost three games on the bounce, including a crucial match at relegation rivals Torquay, which sucked them back into the mire. On the final day, Torquay were sitting in the box seat, requiring an unlikely set of results, including wins for the Dons and Oldham, to relegate them. Helping the Dons to scramble up the rope ladder to safety was an acceptance of reality that allowed them to mentally pace themselves for the long haul. "As a staff, we always thought it wouldn't be over until the last day. There were always going to be twists and turns and we never felt we were safe, even with five or six games to go. "We were prepared to go the distance and that stood us in good stead at the end." So how does the huge size of the task of keeping MK Dons afloat compare with Wilson's other managerial feats, such as the rollercoaster ride that took Barnsley into the Premiership against similar odds? "You can't compare the two situations," admitted Wilson. " "Here, we were fighting to keep our heads above water. At Barnsley everything was a bit of a bonus when we were going up because nobody expected us to do it." One task made easier by the club's survival is that of beating off interest for some of the promising crop of young players during the close-season. Wilson said: "I think it would have been a lot harder to keep the players if we had gone down. "A few of the lads played in the Championship in adversity last season and they might not have been ready for it. "When you are winning, you see a different player to what you see when you're losing week-in, week-out. "With a few wins under their belts, their confidence starts to rise and they blossom as players and we've seen that in quite a few cases. "If we can get off to a decent start next season, we might see that at the beginning of the campaign instead of at the end."

Wrexham warn Dons over Morgan bid
Wrexham manager Denis Smith has warned MK Dons to expect to pay a considerable fee if they want to sign Craig Morgan. The Wales Under-21 defender is out of contract but Wrexham would be entitled to a compensation fee if he moved on. The Dons have made an offer to the 19-year-old, but Smith said: "If MK Dons have got quite a bit of money to pay then we'll obviously discuss it. "They either pay us up front or we go to tribunal and I would be quite pleased to go to tribunal with them." Morgan and all the other out of contract Wrexham players have been offered new deals to stay at the troubled club. And Smith told BBC Wales Sport: "Generally they all want to stay. "They've got a month now to reply to me, so it's a month of waiting and seeing who taps into them. "They will get better offers financially, but as I explained to them, there's a quality of life in Wrexham that they shouldn't give up too easily. "It's lovely place to live; we play football the right way; we've got a nice training ground. "There's a lot of good things going for this club. So they might get a few extra bob, but is it worthwhile moving your family, putting your children in new schools and everything else that goes with it? "So I think hopefully I'll have the majority of the squad with me next season." Juan Ugarte's scoring exploits have brought him to the attention of many rivals. The Basque striker has said he wants to stay at the club, and Smith believes he owes the debt of gratitude to the club that resurrected his career by signing him from non-league Dorchester last November. "He's had offers from all over the country, but he knows how well he's been treated here," Smith added. "Our financial offer is a good one and he's got to decide where he wants to play. "Is he going to be as happy wherever and are the clubs that are interested going to have financial problems next season? "Are they going to be solid? Are they going to be a good place to be? "This place is going to be a good place to be in the near future."

Dons keeper upbeat about fitness
Milton Keynes Dons keeper Matt Baker is confident he will be fit for the start of pre-season training on 4 July after undergoing groin surgery last week. "I need to do a bit of work to be ready because I haven't been in full training for a while," the 25-year-old said. "But it won't be a problem. It's cut short my summer a bit. "I'm just glad to have it out of the way, glad it's gone well and am looking forward to a full pre-season without any pain," he told the club website.

Platt given four-game suspension
Milton Keynes striker Clive Platt will miss the first four games of the season through suspension. The 27-year-old was given the four-match ban by the Football Association disciplinary panel. He received the punishment following an incident in the league game between Bristol City and Peterborough on 1 January, when he was a Posh player. Platt's case was heard last Thursday and he was found to be in breach of FA rule E3, violent conduct.

Chorley signs new Dons contract
Milton Keynes skipper Ben Chorley has signed a new two-year contract to the delight of manager Danny Wilson. "Ben was massive for us and a big part of the reason we kept things tights at the back and picked up the points we needed to stay up," said Wilson. "He is a tremendous captain and solid centre-half - you look for strong characters to lead the team and there are none stronger than Ben. "I'm really pleased he is staying," Wilson added on the club's website.

Davis completes Sunderland move
Sunderland have secured the signing of Ipswich keeper Kelvin Davis for £1.25m. The 28-year-old arrived at the club on Tuesday and has agreed a four-year deal with the Wearsiders. Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy was delighted with his fourth signing of the summer and said: "This represents a tremendous signing for Sunderland. "Kelvin has played in the Premier League before with Wimbledon and he has played something near 40 games a season for the last four years." Town accepted a seven-figure offer from the Black Cats for former England Under-21 international Davis earlier this month. McCarthy added: "He was voted the best goalkeeper in the Championship last season and at 28 he is also in his prime age for a goalkeeper. "He has terrific ability and is experienced, so we're delighted to have Kelvin in our squad for the Premiership." Davis started his career with Luton, making over 100 appearance for the Hatters, before signing for Wimbledon for £600,000 in 1999. After four years he moved to Ipswich on a free transfer and has spent two years with the Tractor Boys. Davis added: "The personal terms took a little bit longer to sort out, but once I was happy with everything I had no hesitation in signing. "Sunderland are a huge club with great support and I am now really looking forward to next season and the challenge of keeping the team in the top flight." Milton Keynes Dons, formerly known as Wimbledon, will receive a sell-on fee as part of Davis' move to Portman Road in 2003. Davis joins Jonathan Stead, Nyron Nosworthy and Daryl Murphy as new signings for promoted Sunderland.

Wrexham warn Dons over Morgan bid
Wrexham manager Denis Smith has warned MK Dons to expect to pay a considerable fee if they want to sign Craig Morgan. The Wales Under-21 defender is out of contract but Wrexham would be entitled to a compensation fee if he moved on. The Dons have made an offer to the 19-year-old, but Smith said: "If MK Dons have got quite a bit of money to pay then we'll obviously discuss it. "They either pay us up front or we go to tribunal and I would be quite pleased to go to tribunal with them." Morgan and all the other out of contract Wrexham players have been offered new deals to stay at the troubled club. "Generally they all want to stay. "They've got a month now to reply to me, so it's a month of waiting and seeing who taps into them. "They will get better offers financially, but as I explained to them, there's a quality of life in Wrexham that they shouldn't give up too easily. "It's lovely place to live; we play football the right way; we've got a nice training ground. "There's a lot of good things going for this club. So they might get a few extra bob, but is it worthwhile moving your family, putting your children in new schools and everything else that goes with it? "So I think hopefully I'll have the majority of the squad with me next season." Juan Ugarte's scoring exploits have brought him to the attention of many rivals. The Basque striker has said he wants to stay at the club, and Smith believes he owes the debt of gratitude to the club that resurrected his career by signing him from non-league Dorchester last November. "He's had offers from all over the country, but he knows how well he's been treated here," Smith added. "Our financial offer is a good one and he's got to decide where he wants to play. "Is he going to be as happy wherever and are the clubs that are interested going to have financial problems next season? "Are they going to be solid? Are they going to be a good place to be? "This place is going to be a good place to be in the near future."

Dons keeper upbeat about fitness
Milton Keynes Dons keeper Matt Baker is confident he will be fit for the start of pre-season training on 4 July after undergoing groin surgery last week. "I need to do a bit of work to be ready because I haven't been in full training for a while," the 25-year-old said. "But it won't be a problem. It's cut short my summer a bit. "I'm just glad to have it out of the way, glad it's gone well and am looking forward to a full pre-season without any pain," he told the club website.

Chorley signs new Dons contract
Milton Keynes skipper Ben Chorley has signed a new two-year contract to the delight of manager Danny Wilson. "Ben was massive for us and a big part of the reason we kept things tights at the back and picked up the points we needed to stay up," said Wilson. "He is a tremendous captain and solid centre-half - you look for strong characters to lead the team and there are none stronger than Ben. "I'm really pleased he is staying," Wilson added on the club's website.

Davis completes Sunderland move
Sunderland have secured the signing of Ipswich keeper Kelvin Davis for £1.25m. The 28-year-old arrived at the club on Tuesday and has agreed a four-year deal with the Wearsiders. Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy was delighted with his fourth signing of the summer and said: "This represents a tremendous signing for Sunderland. "Kelvin has played in the Premier League before with Wimbledon and he has played something near 40 games a season for the last four years." Town accepted a seven-figure offer from the Black Cats for former England Under-21 international Davis earlier this month. McCarthy added: "He was voted the best goalkeeper in the Championship last season and at 28 he is also in his prime age for a goalkeeper. "He has terrific ability and is experienced, so we're delighted to have Kelvin in our squad for the Premiership." Davis started his career with Luton, making over 100 appearance for the Hatters, before signing for Wimbledon for £600,000 in 1999. After four years he moved to Ipswich on a free transfer and has spent two years with the Tractor Boys. Davis added: "The personal terms took a little bit longer to sort out, but once I was happy with everything I had no hesitation in signing. "Sunderland are a huge club with great support and I am now really looking forward to next season and the challenge of keeping the team in the top flight." Milton Keynes Dons, formerly known as Wimbledon, will receive a sell-on fee as part of Davis' move to Portman Road in 2003. Davis joins Jonathan Stead, Nyron Nosworthy and Daryl Murphy as new signings for promoted Sunderland.

Wilson delight at Mitchell deal
MK Dons boss Danny Wilson has spoken of his delight at capturing 24-year-old Wigan midfielder Paul Mitchell. Mitchell signed on a two-year deal after a successful loan spell at the National Hockey Stadium last season. "It wasn't just about how he played when he was with us - but that was good enough," Wilson told the Dons' website. "He also went down really well with the rest of the boys at the club, which is what you want. He has the physical presence you need in central midfield."

Shakers swoop for striker Smart
Much-travelled striker Allan Smart has agreed a two-year deal at Bury. The 30-year-old will join the Shakers once he passes a medical after being released by Milton Keynes Dons at the end of last season. Bury will become the 11th club Perth-born Smart has played for in England and Scotland. He has scored 51 league and cup goals in his career, which has included spells with Preston, Watford, Oldham and Dundee United

Wrexham lose Llewellyn and Morgan
The exodus from the Racecourse has continued, with Wrexham defender Craig Morgan joining MK Dons and striker Chris Llewellyn signing for Hartlepool. They follow top-scorer Juan Ugarte, who signed for Crewe on Monday. Wales Under-21 defender Craig Morgan, 19, joins the Dons on a two-year contract for an undisclosed five-figure transfer fee. The price for Wales striker Llewellyn, 25, is also undisclosed, but he had a year left on his Dragons contract.

Dons complete deal for Wilbraham
MK Dons boss Danny wilson has completed the signing of former Hull City striker Aaron Wilbraham. The 25-year-old frontman has put pen to paper on a two-year contract. Wilbraham began his career with Stockport and had a loan spell in Norway with Moss FK before joining the Tigers for £100,000 last summer. He made ten starts and nine substitute appearances for Hull, scoring twice, and also netted two goals during a month's loan at Oldham in November.

Milton Keynes release French pair
Milton Keynes Dons have decided to release French duo Harry Ntimban-Zeh and Laurent Herve. Ntimban-Zeh, 31 and Herve, 28, have both reached an amicable settlement with the Dons over cancellation of their contracts. The pair were signed by Stuart Murdoch last summer and enjoyed extended spells in the first team lasy season. Herve featured in 26 matches for the dons while Ntimbah played 25 games for the club.

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