"Definitely": MacGillivray is eager to stay at MK Dons next season

Craig MacGillivray admitted he is keen to remain at MK Dons beyond this summer, despite having a ‘bonkers’ two years at the club.

The 32-year-old has come back into the side of late, playing in the last three matches, while keeping clean sheets in both of the games under new head coach Paul Warne.

MacGillivray’s time at MK1 has been a bizarre one. From starting life under Graham Alexander, the Scot was a regular until Christmas 2023 - when Dons last kept two clean sheets in a row before Easter’s back-to-back lockouts - before being loaned to Stevenage, and then ostracised under Mike Williamson.

Given a handful of appearances under Scott Lindsey, MacGillivray appeared destined for the exit this summer, but he has made a huge impression on Warne he arrived with two consummate goalkeeping displays.

Out of contract in the summer though, MacGillivray’s future is potentially up in the air, but the keeper openly admitted he would love to stay and fulfil the ambition he set out when he first signed in the summer of 2023.

“The season as a whole has been a very odd season for me,” he said. “I’m ecstatic to be in the team and playing again, but my contract is up at the end of the season. At some point, I’m sure he’ll go around and talk to each of the lads and tell them if he wants them to stay or not.

“If he wants me to stay, definitely. I came here to get promoted, and if the gaffer wants me, that’s what I want to do. I want to get this club back up.

“Even last year, it was pretty bonkers for me, especially towards the back end. Even more watching it from afar.

“Now the relegation issue is put to bed, we can let the dust settle on the league, hopefully get two more wins and see what the gaffer wants to do next season.”

The 1-0 win over Crewe at the Mornflake Stadium on Easter Monday secured Dons’ safety in League Two with two games to go - a far cry from where the club expected to be at this time when the season kicked off back in August.

While many associated with the club were looking nervously over their shoulders at the drop zone, and in particular the form of drop zone candidates Carlisle United recently, MacGillivray said the threat of relegation never really entered the MK Dons dressing room, even though it was not mathematically certain they would avoid the drop until two games to go.

He said: “I look around the dressing room and personally think there is no way this team should be in a relegation position. I know, you can’t hide away from it, Carlisle were winning and closing the gap but no-one was thinking we were in a real relegation scrap.

“But we’ve had to deal with the facts - until today we were still mathematically in that relegation fight. It was not something we were looking at.

“Considering what has happened this season, it is a really good group. We all wanted to get promoted this season, that was everyone’s goal. But for whatever reason, we find ourselves in this position now. There is no way this club should be in this position, there is no way this group of lads should be in this position in the league.

“Thankfully, it’s put to bed and we can see where it takes us in these last two games. If we do that, there is so much more positivity going into pre-season. We just have to enjoy these last two games given everything that has happened. There is a bit more freedom now.”