Carling Cup preview. MK Dons v City

Last updated : 21 September 2004 By Michael Morris
Our season starts here. It must do, City have to inject some confidence into the squad and into the fans.

Of course the league form is the main concern but a win tonight might put everyone in a more positive frame of mins for the trip to Molineux on Saturday.

Tonights Carling Cup clash against the newly named Milton Keynes Dons will be a trip back for Sam (of course they were formerly his Wimbledon club) and more recently Jobi McAnuff who played for Wimbledon in the same stadium early last season. He was booked when playing against City in the Bluebirds first trip to the ground in Milton Keynes on a very wet November afternoon last year.

City staggered into the second round after a penalty shoot out victory over Kidderminster at Aggborough. MK registered an impressive 3 - 0 win at Peterborough in their 1st round game.

The winners tonight could potentially be playing Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool etc. The top Premiership teams who are in European competition enter in round three.

I'm feeling a bit more upbeat today. No matter what is going on around the club in terms of league results, management, "crisis", or whatever else we still have a game to play and as usual we should be backing the team to do well. The time to critisise or praise them is after the game.

On the pitch there could be a first run out this season for Neil Alexander. Lennie's squad includes four youth team players, Joe Ledley, Byron Anthony, Nicky Fish and striker Cameron Jerome.

The City squad will look something like this

Warner, Alexander, Barker, Collins, Gabbidon, Vidmar, Bullock, Boland,
Kavanagh, McAnuff, Parry, Campbell, Lee, Thorne, Anthony, Ledley, Fish and
Jerome.

Definately out are Croft, Langley, Page, Weston Margetson and Fleetwood.

Kick off is at 7:45pm and brief match highlights are being shown on HTV Wales at midnight tonight. The winners will find our their round 3 opponents live on Sky on Wednesday evening after the live Oldham v Spurs match.