The surprising former Dons boss linked with the Carlisle job

The front-runners to replace Mike Williamson are already beginning to line-up, but one bookie has made a surprise inclusion to their list of contenders.

Williamson lasted four months in charge at Brunton Park after leaving MK Dons at the end of September. In a move which took him closer to his home in the north-east, the ex-Newcastle United defender only won four games in charge of the Cumbrians, losing 14 of the 25 he took charge of.

On Monday, transfer deadline day, he was handed his notice by the Carlisle board after Saturday’s 5-1 home defeat to Swindon Town.

According to bookmakers JeffBet, former Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole is the early favourite to take over, and Robbie Stockdale, who was number two to Mark Jackson at Stadium MK in 2023, is third favourite to get the job.

However, there is a surprise inclusion for Dan Micciche too. Installed as the fourth favourite at 9/2, Micciche is thought to be in the running.

Micciche made his name in MK Dons’ academy before taking up jobs at youth team level with the FA. He returned to MK1 to take over from Robbie Neilson when he was sacked in 2018, but won just three of the 16 games he was in charge of, losing the first seven in a row as Dons suffered emphatic relegation from League One.

Following his sacking four months later, he took on a role in Arsenal’s academy in November 2018 before joining coach Kevin Betsy at Crawley as his number two. The pair though would only last four months again before being sacked.

More recently, Micciche has been at Everton as Player Development Lead Coach.