HEAD-TO-HEAD: Could Neilson hand debut to new Don Robbie Muirhead?

Having put pen to paper on deals yesterday (Thursday), striker Muirhead (Hearts) goes straight into Dons' squad to take on the Cobblers.

Fortunately, the youngster is unlikely to have taken much note of the reverse fixture earlier this season. A catastrophic 27 minutes at Sixfields saw Dons trailing 3-0 to the League 2 champions, though goals from Dean Bowditch and Samir Carruthers ensured the scoreline would flatter Dons come the final whistle.

Until that match, Dons had generally had the upper hand over their neighbours from just up the M1, losing just once in Johnstone's Paint Trophy action aside from the loss at Sixfields. And Northampton haven't in won any of their four visits to Stadium MK, most recently losing 3-0 to Dons in their FA Cup third round replay a year ago.

But both sides come into Saturday's encounter under new guidance from the last time. Dons parted company with Karl Robinson in October and replaced him with Robbie Neilson, while Cobblers sacked Rob Page and replaced him with former GIllingham boss Justin Edinburgh - no stranger to the area having managed Rushden & Diamonds early in his career.

League form is something that has evaded both sides of late too. Dons slipped to 19th in League 1 last weekend after their game against Port Vale was postponed, while Edinburgh lost his first game in charge of Northampton, going down 2-1 at home to Scunthorpe.

Should Dons beat Northampton on Saturday, it would see them climb above Cobblers in the table.

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