MK Dons' preseason campaign concludes in familiar surroundings against familiar opponents.
On Saturday, MK Dons will play Stevenage for the first time since 2021, and there will be plenty of familiar faces to greet them at Lamex Stadium.
Over the years, Dons had made frequent trips to Hertfordshire. The teams have met 14 more times since their initial FA Cup encounter in 2010—a match in which Stevenage Borough, then in non-league, won the first-round replay at Stadium MK on penalties.
However, the teams have been kept apart ever since they met again in the FA Cup almost five years ago.
However, some players have switched throughout the years. During his final contracted year with Charlton Athletic, Dons captain Alex Gilbey spent a season on loan at the Lamex Stadium.
In 2024, keeper Craig MacGillivray also made the switch after being fired by previous Dons manager Mike Williamson.
After being brought in by Scott Lindsey in January, defender Nathan Thompson made the voyage in the opposite direction. However, he has battled to stay fit thus far due to two different ailments, the most recent of which is expected to keep him out of Saturday's encounter.
However, his brother Louis, who signed a contract extension in April to keep him at Stevenage for a third year and beyond, is still there. The younger Thompson only made 30 appearances during his 18-month loan at Stadium MK in 2020–21 due to injuries.
In the end, the 26-year-old Dan Kemp's MK Dons career will be viewed as an example of "what might have been." He had incredibly successful loan stints at Hartlepool and Swindon, returning in January 2024, but he was unable to duplicate his form for his parent club.
He hardly made an impression in the first team. He signed a two-year contract with Stevenage last summer after being released at the end of his last one. He immediately became popular, scoring 11 goals in 48 games and winning the club's Player of the Year title.
After Jordan Houghton departed Plymouth Argyle, Stevenage pounced on another former Dons midfielder in the summer.
Paul Tisdale signed the former Chelsea player in 2018, and he remained a mainstay at Stadium MK until his contract expired in 2021. After joining Argyle, Houghton played a key role in the team's promotion to the Championship and their thrilling comeback from relegation.
After making 30 more appearances for the team the previous season, Houghton was unable to keep them from going down for a second season and signed a free transfer contract with Alex Revell's team.
Additionally, Revell was a hero for MK Dons once. Revell joined MK1 on a temporary contract in 2016 from Cardiff City after playing three games with Dons manager Paul Warne while they were teammates at Rotherham in 2011–12.
He may be best remembered for wearing the glove and saving a penalty away at Preston North End after keeper Cody Cropper was sent off, but his four goals in 17 Championship appearances were insufficient to help the team avoid relegation.
He finished his playing career at Stevenage, where he was ultimately fired in November 2021 after being appointed to manager in February 2020. When Steve Evans, Revell's former Rotherham boss, returned to the New York Stadium in April 2024, Revell took over as first-team coach at the Lamex Stadium once more.
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