Walsall return for MK Dons next season after play-off final defeat
League Two is taking shape for next season
MK Dons will return to the Poundland Bescot Stadium next season after Walsall missed out on promotion on Sunday.
Mat Sadler’s side had at one point last season looked heavy favourites for the League Two title, at one point 12 points clear atop the table. When Dons were beaten 4-2 at the Bescot in January, the fans there even chanted ‘champions’ as they claimed their ninth consecutive league win. But that day sparked their spiral out of control.
Following the win on January 18, Walsall would win just three more games, but still narrowly missed out on automatic promotion as Antoni Sarcevic’s stoppage time winner for Bradford City usurped them from the top three.
Finding form again in the play-off semi-finals though, Walsall booked their spot at Wembley by beating Chesterfield home and away. It would be more heartbreak for the fans though as AFC Wimbledon claimed a narrow 1-0 win to book their spot in League One.
It means Dons will return to the west midlands next term for the 30th and 31st meetings between the sides. They will also be facing Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers, Cambridge United and Shrewsbury Town following their relegations from League One, while Barnet will await the National League play-off final between Oldham Athletic and Southend United to see who joins them in League Two from the fifth tier.