Former MK Dons defender submits application to take over as head coach

As the hunt for a permanent successor to Scott Lindsey gets underway, a former MK Dons player has thrown his hat into the ring.

Antony Kay has applied to replace Lindsey as the club’s head coach, having dipped his toes into management at the start of this season, taking charge of Northern Premier League side Runcorn Linnets.

Kay spent four years at Stadium MK as the club’s first-choice centre back, racking up 161 appearances for Karl Robinson’s side. Joining the club in 2012, Kay featured in many of the club’s most historic moments – the first win over AFC Wimbledon, the FA Cup third round win over QPR, the 4-0 triumph over Manchester United and promotion to the Championship.

After leaving the club in 2016, Kay went on to play for Bury and Port Vale before dropping into the non-leagues, wrapping up his playing career at Runcorn Linnets last summer in the Northern Premier League Division One West, making 829 appearances, scoring 70 career goals.

During that time, Kay worked behind-the-scenes to qualify for his UEFA A licence, and took his first steps towards becoming a full-time coach with Welsh Premier Division side Bala Town, where he played prior to signing for Runcorn.

In hanging up his boots, he took charge of Linnets at the start of this season, but was sacked in January after a run of poor results.

Though he has no EFL experience as a head coach as yet, Dons are certainly no strangers to offering up the opportunity.

Roberto Di Matteo was given his first managerial position when he took over from Paul Ince in 2008, while Karl Robinson took the job in 2010 having been assistant manager to Ince on his return in 2009.

The trend continued with the appointments of Dan Micciche in 2018, who had previously managed England at youth team levels, before Russell Martin took up the job in 2019 following Paul Tisdale’s sacking.

Liam Manning was then plucked from the Belgian second-tier to take up his first senior role in English football, one which took Dons to within a point of the Championship. Mark Jackson was also given his first top job when he replaced Manning in 2022, as was Mike Williamson when he took over in 2023.