Winfred Becchio en route to one of his 49 goals this season
Things weren't looking good for English club Milton Keynes FC at the start of this year.
After winning the Division 3 title 2 years ago, former manager Derban was inexplicitly sacked by the board halfway through the club's first season in Division 2, leaving many wondering what direction the club would be heading in.
Enter new manager Bradster. Virtually unknown in manager circles, the Australian was thrust in charge of a club burnt out from the season prior, barely managing to keep the club's head afloat to stay in Division 2 for this season with a 12th place finish.
With a full off-season to get his affairs in order, Milton Keynes practically looked like a new club. A revamp of the coaching staff, a new 5,000 seat stadium in the heart of Milton Keynes, with plans for expansion, as well as new training facilities and plans to start up their very own Youth Academy, MK was firing on all cylinders behind Bradster. The Australian opted to focus on the club's facilities in his first full year at the helm rather than the transfer market, but didn't ignore it completely, signing 18-year-old Hungarian striker Sandro Clark from Spanish club Yellow Crushers, who looks to be oozing with potential.
The brand-new manager instituted an extremely defensive-minded philosophy at the club, led by centre back Scott Brunet, who shored up the Milton Keynes defense, leading to a league-best 7 goals conceded. This defense was club's new identity, but that isn't to say goals weren't being scored on the other end. Yemeni striker Winfred Becchio was a revelation for the club, scoring a league-leading 49 goals this season in Division 2, almost cracking the half-century mark.
The club's second season in Division 2 was a stark contrast to the year prior, as the football club was in the hunt for the Division 2 title all season long, battling with eventual champions HKYHOME FC as well as FC Avantasia. Milton Keynes finished 3rd come season's end, qualifying for the promotion playoffs for a chance to play in England's top flight.
On top of that, the club made it all the way to the Division 2 cup final, falling to rivals FC Avantasia in the final by a score of 1-0. Many pundits would consider this loss a consolation victory for FC Avantasia, as the two teams faced off in the promotional playoff quarter-finals only half a week prior, with MKFC coming out 7-0 victors on aggregate after the two legs.
With European football almost wrapping up, Milton Keynes will move on to face fellow Division 2 club Stefan Eleven FC in the semi-finals of the promotional playoffs, as they look to run the gauntlet on their way to the top league in England.