Established in 2004, MK Dons’ best centre-backs throughout their brief history have all played at MK1 during the 21st Century.
MK Dons have failed to reach the heights of the Premier League throughout their albeit brief history. The Dons have switched division in six of their 17 seasons which makes it difficult to compare the abilities of some of their best centre-backs over the past 18 years.
But here, in no particular order, we take a look at MK Dons’ top five centre-backs of the 21st Century so far…
Dean Lewington
Starting off with the first-ever MK Dons legend, Dean Lewington. Lewington was part of the squad that moved with Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes and has been here for the 18 years since. He has made a total of 841 appearances, scoring 24.
Throughout his time he has been known for his lack of pace, which he more than makes up for in defensive awareness and strength. He still plies his trade week in week out for the Dons at the age of 37.
Shaun Williams
Williams made a total of 137 appearances across a three year spell at Stadium MK, scoring a whopping 24 goals. Despite playing a small few games in midfield, he comes into this list down to playing the majority of his MK Dons caps in the centre of defence due to the defensive crisis’.
In rewards for his efforts, he was crowned MK Dons’ Player of the Season at the end of the 2012/13 campaign.
Kyle McFadzean
McFadzean was known for his poor disciplinary record at MK Dons, where he picked up 28 yellow cards in 93 games as well as two red cards. He scored a few important goals and overall was just a solid defender in a centre-back partnership with Anthony Kay.
McFadzean left MK Dons in the summer of 2016 following their relegation back to League One, for personal reasons.
Harry Darling
Darling joined the Dons just 14 months ago from Cambridge United. Despite such a short time at the Dons so far, Darling has become a starter and has produced some of the best defensive displays by any player in MK Dons’ brief history.
He has not just been solid at the back for the Dons, he has also chipped in with seven goals in the 2021/22 campaign in just 38 appearances. His darting forward runs are effective in driving his MK Dons team forward and creating good goal-scoring opportunities.
Joe Walsh
Walsh broke into the Dons’ team midway into the 2015/16 season in the Championship. He stayed in the starting 11 for the next four years, making 145 appearances for the Dons. The Welshman stood out in all three divisions in which he featured for MK Dons; Championship, League One and League Two.
Whenever he returned from injury he was thrown straight back into the starting lineup, proving nobody was able to take the spot away from the young defender.
