Tonight (Fri): SCUNTHORPE v MK DONS, League One play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg
Jemal Johnson is hoping his MK Dons side can maintain their end-of-season vigor as they travel to Scunthorpe for the first leg of the League One play-off semifinals.
Roberto Di Matteo's MK team should make light work of The Iron over the two legs, having won six of their last seven games and fallen just one win short of automatic promotion to the Championship. But for a barren start to 2009, MK should already have been promoted. The Dons won 1-0 at Scunthorpe only last month, although lost 0-2 to them at Stadium:MK back in December.
The danger for the Dons is the Iron's red-hot front pairing of Gary Hayes and Paul Hooper - authors of 50 goals in all competitions in 2008/09. New Jersey-born Johnson, who netted 5 in 33 regular season outings, is expected to start on the bench.
Sat: MILLWALL v LEEDS League One play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg
Zak Whitbread flies the US flag in the other League One semi-final, which on recent form favors Leeds. The two sides finished only two points apart at the end of the regular season, and their aggregate clashes ended 3-3.
Millwall will take heart from their 3-1 win over Leeds at The Den in October, but have lost four of their last seven games, while the Whites bagged eight of their last ten. 11 straight home wins in 2009 and 27 season strikes from Jermaine Beckford put Leeds in pole position and the onus is on Whitbread's team to grab a first leg advantage. A worry for the South Londoners is that their strike rate is nearer relegation than promotion standard. The Dons scored 19 fewer goals at home this season than Leeds scored at Elland Road.
Leeds forward Mike Grella had regular cameos off the bench during the season, but may find his minutes squeezed in the playoffs.
Given the fiery reputation of both sets of fans, this is sure to be a tense two-part dogfight. Texas-born former US U-21 Whitbread has made 38 league appearances for the Lions this season.
Sat: BURNLEY v READING Championship play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg
Veteran US goalie Marcus Hahnemann will hope the Clarets are off-color as the Royals push for an immediate return to the Premier League they dropped out of only last year.
Reading missed out on automatic promotion with a disappointing final day home loss to Birmingham while Burnley celebrated nipping Eddie Johnson's Cardiff City to the play-offs by tanking Bristol City 4-0.
The Berkshire club finished the campaign one point but 20 goals ahead of their Lancashire adversaries on Saturday. But Burnley defeated Steve Coppell's men 1-0 at Turf Moor this season and come the second leg will take succor from their opponents' stuttering home form - only one win in their last eight games at the Madejski. The Royals' Irish strikeforce (Kevin Doyle, Noel Hunt, Stephen Hunt and Shane Long) however has scored 44 goals between them this season, 18 of them from Eire marksman Doyle.
Preston host Sheffield United in the other Championship semi-final first leg.
-Sean O'Conor
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1 comments:
Mike Grella, though limited in playing time, also with the Yank connection for Leeds.
Personally, this would all be best decided in THUNDERDOME!
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