Paint by numbers

Last updated: 27th March 2008

MK Dons

MK Dons: celebrate reaching Wembley

Some clubs didn't take this competition seriously in the earlier rounds and I suspect some of them will be watching Sky Sports on Sunday afternoon and will realise what they're missing out on.

Chris Kamara
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JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY
Live from Wembley Stadium
Sunday, 12.30pm, Sky Sports 1

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People sometimes don't take the Johnstone's Paint Trophy seriously, but there will be 70,000 people at Wembley on Sunday proving how much this competition matters.

What a fantastic day out it's going to be for both MK Dons and Grimsby. Both clubs could end up taking more than 30,000 fans with them, which is tremendous. The passion of English football fans never ceases to amaze me.

Alan Buckley took Grimsby to the final of this competition 10 years ago , but I bet the crowd on that day won't be anywhere near what it is this year. Domestic football has captured everybody's imagination in the last decade; now if only Fabio Capello could sort the national side out...

Sunday won't just be a wonderful day for the fans though; it's great for the players because some of these guys will never get another chance to play at Wembley.

Some clubs didn't take this competition seriously in the earlier rounds and I suspect some of them will be watching Sky Sports on Sunday afternoon and will realise what they're missing out on.

Not only is it a great day out, but both finalists have benefited from increased revenue through reaching the latter stages. I think people will be sat in boardrooms at League One and League Two clubs up and down the land demanding that their club takes this competition more seriously next season.

MK Dons have proved that a good run in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy doesn't damage your league form because they're top of the table. I would also argue that a cup run has galvanised Grimsby's season after a poor start.

The Trophy seems to have been a launchpad for their assault on the top seven. They're ninth at the moment and I wouldn't rule out another trip to Wembley for them in the play-offs. Bristol Rovers were in the JP Trophy Final last year and ended up winning the play-off final, so Grimsby will be hoping to repeat that feat.

Worthy

MK Dons have been very impressive this season. They're not frightened of anybody and they play a fantastic brand of football, which is worthy of a higher division. The wide open spaces of Wembley should suit their players.

Paul Ince has been involved in big games as a player, but it will be a different scenario for him as a manager because it's not about what he's done, it's about what he can get out of his players.

Promotion will be his priority in the scheme of things this season, but come 1pm on Sunday there's no doubt he'll want to win the game.

Grimsby also play attractive football because that's the style Alan Buckley has demanded throughout his managerial career. If you go right back to his days with Walsall in the early 1980s, you'll see his teams have always played in an attractive manner.

There will be plenty of good players on show from both sides, but I'd say Danny North and Keith Andrews will be the key men.

Andrews is the engine room for MK Dons and he weighs in with some crucial goals. He just always seems to pop up in the right place at the right time.

It's important for the Dons that he plays well - and the same will be said about North for Grimsby. He's a young lad with a bright future and it's no coincidence that Grimsby's form has improved since he started banging in the goals.

But it's definitely not just about those two. You can look around both teams and see quality in the likes of Lloyd Dyer, Kevin Gallen, Peter Bore and Paul Bolland.

Paul Ince will tell you there are no mugs in League Two and just because MK Dons are top, it's not a foregone conclusion that they'll win at Wembley.

I've got no idea which way this one is going to go, but I'm looking forward to a fantastic spectacle between two attractive sides.

Do you have a question for Kammy? Let us know what you think by using the feedback form below and continue to email him here

Kammy answers your questions...

Hiya Chris. Two words... Hull City! We are peaking just at the right time! Can we do it Chris? Can we reach the place we have never been and lose the weight around our necks of being the biggest team in Europe never to have been in the top league of their country? Love yer work! Shez.

KAMMY REPLIES: You're certainly right Shez, they are a big team. They've got some fantastic support and the momentum is definitely with them after a fantastic run of results.

I don't want to pour scorn on their achievements because they've been playing some magnificent stuff, but I do have a word of caution. At various stages throughout the season Watford, West Brom, Bristol City and Stoke have all shown signs of running away with it. But all four got to the top, got the jitters and their form tailed off. Now Hull City are the form team and Phil Brown will be hoping the same thing doesn't happen to them. In fact, he's probably hoping they don't reach that summit until the last weekend of the season.

Hull fans will hope their momentum will carry them through, a bit like Sunderland who were like a runaway train in the latter half of last season. But there's no way I can stick my neck out and say they will definitely go up because there's plenty of twists and turns to come.

Hi Chris, I am getting very tired of certain parts of the media with their view of the Championship. I was incensed reading the Guardian where one reporter has stated that the Championship is just much of a muchness! He states this season has shown just how mediocre everyone is and pretty much said everyone was as bad as each other!! I presume this reporter failed to watch Barnsley and Cardiff deservedly winning against Premier League clubs! I think that the gap between the Championship and bottom half of the Premier League is as close as it has been in recent years! I wondered what your opinion on this - am I being biased as a supporter of a Championship team? Regards, Michael Warr.

KAMMY REPLIES: You're not being biased at all Michael and I've seen ignorance from a lot of reporters who make assumptions after watching one game. The Championship may not be full of household names and it may not be about total football, but you're not guaranteed to get exciting end-to-end football in any league in the world.

However, you'll go to some games in the Championship and you'll come away talking about how fantastic some of the players are. People think Championship teams won't be able to survive in the Premier League, but I know there are a lot of teams in the Championship who are as good as the teams in the bottom eight of the Premier League.

Hi Chris, I am a Manchester United fan, but I have now adopted Coventry City as my second team because of my girlfriend. I thought that when they appointed Chris Coleman it was a good appointment and he would keep them up because of the good job he did with Fulham, yet now I am not so sure they just can't seem to find the back of the net. I thought they would stay up but now I'm not so sure, do you think they will be able to stay up? Also looks like one of the "bigger" clubs will go down out of Coventry, Leicester, Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday. Leeds last season shows no one is too big to go down. John, Manchester

KAMMY REPLIES: Chris Coleman didn't take the Coventry job to manage in League One, that's for certain. But it's very tight down there and I can't believe people are talking about replacing the manager so soon after he arrived. He hasn't had an immediate impact, but to be honest I don't think they will go down. Give him time and give him a chance.

I think one of those big clubs you mention will go down this year, but I'm still not sure who. It's going to be hard for Colchester and Scunthorpe to survive from the position they're in, but I think Barnsley will be ok because their FA Cup run has shown they are capable of beating anybody on their day. There is a section of "big clubs" in the mix and I suspect one of them will probably fill that third relegation spot.

Do you have a question for Kammy? Let us know what you think by using the feedback form below and continue to email him here

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