League One betting tips: MK Dons, Morecambe and Cambridge battle for survival
- George Dempsey
- 6 May 2023
MK Dons, Morecambe and Cambridge will be fighting to secure their League One status on Sunday, but it’s the Dons who are in pole position going into the final day.
In a wild penultimate day, MK Dons came from behind to lead Barnsley 4-1, only to throw away two points at the death. Morecambe were dead and buried at 2-0 but Carl Stockton fired them to a memorable 3-2 win over Lincoln.
Cambridge recorded a 2-1 win away to relegation rivals Accrington Stanley, relegating them in the process. It all comes down to the final day with the U's facing already relegated Forest Green Rovers at Abbey Stadium.
Suggested betting tips
Burton Albion vs MK Dons
As teams at the bottom tend to do, MK Dons have made life hard for themselves going into the final weekend. The Dons were in front against Barnsley 4-1 with 17 minutes to go and managed to throw away two points.
While the point was enough to keep them above Morecambe, it would have allowed Cambridge to leapfrog them with a midweek win over Burton Albion. The U's squandered that opportunity though as they lost 1-0 at the Pirelli Stadium, a result which keeps survival in the Dons' hands.
Looking back at the Dons' last 15 away league matches, it's noticeable that no one outside the top six has made light work of them.
While they were well and truly humbled by Bolton and Sheffield Wednesday, they have picked up at least a point in six of their last 10 matches and Mark Jackson's men don't struggle to score.
Cambridge United vs Forest Green
Cambridge travelled to Burton on Wednesday evening with the opportunity to move out of the relegation zone and take their fate into their own hands, but their 1-0 loss leaves them below Morecambe and a point from safety.
To make matters worse, their -29 goal difference makes it incredibly unlikely they would escape the drop zone with a draw on the final day.
They will be extremely happy to have home advantage and to be hosting one of the weakest teams in recent League One history. Forest Green were relegated weeks ago and sit 17 points off safety.
The U's have made a fist of things at home in recent weeks, beating Fleetwood Town and play-off chasing Peterborough United.
Rovers are going quietly without putting up a fight. Duncan Ferguson's side are winless in seven, losing six, and scoring just twice. They have lost eight of nine on their travels and there's no evidence they will put up much resistance here.
Exeter vs Morecambe
Morecambe are at the mercy of other results on the final day. They know they will need to better Cambridge and MK Dons' results to secure their League One status.
The Shrimps face a tricky trip to Exeter on the final day of the season, but they will be full of confidence after winning three consecutive games for only the second time this season.
They have benefited from facing three teams who have nothing to play for and while Exeter also fall into that category, the Grecians can't be written off as on the beach. City have lost six consecutive League One matches but for the most part, they were competitive.
Given their status as a mid-table side with nothing to play for, it seems particularly cruel they had to face six of the top seven.
Morecambe have never won back-to-back away games at this level and their trio of victories seem all the more incredible when you consider they have only averaged one win in five during their League One stay.
