A season that had a bit of everything ends with Dons staying in League One

The long and winding road to the curtailment of League One sees Dons draw a line under the 2019/20 season with a 19th place finish.

Offered that back in August, fans, players, staff and directors would have been thoroughly dissapointed to finish the campaign five points (5.1 technically) above the drop zone, but the season has been a tumultuous one for MK Dons.

Injuries to the strikers at the start of the campaign saw Dons go on a 10-game barren run, costing Paul Tisdale his job in November after an otherwise solid start. The home win over Lincoln City was a highlight in the opening exchanges, while hosting European champions Liverpool was another feather in the cap.

But without the season's surprise package Sam Nombe, without experienced Joe Mason, and without the club's marquee summer signing Rhys Healey, the writing was on the wall for Tisdale as the club slid into the relegation zone.

The departure of Tisdale though opened the door for another of chairman Pete Winkelman's managerial gambles. While his previous decision to appoint a manager with no experience resulted in catastrophe, the shifting of Russell Martin from centre back to the manager's office certainly had the desired affect, at least in the short term. While it took him a few games to get his feet under the table, and vitally get the strikers back on the pitch, Martin's style of play began to click. An excellent run during December saw Dons claw their way out of the drop zone by the time 2020 had settled into everyone's psyche.

By no means the finished article, Dons had mixed fortunes until coronavirus swept away any chance of finishing the season properly. A 19th place finish is not the way the club will want to remember the season, but frankly, the current climate means the 2019/20 season won't be remembered for finishing positions, more the how and why.

Attention turns now to the fallout - the financial implications of how clubs can survive the next few months until fans can eventually return to stadiums and enjoy the beautiful game once again. One season ends, but the next one feels like a long way off yet.