MALI ACE LEADS RANGERS A MERRY DANCE
STANDING 6ft 5in, it is difficult to miss MK Dons and Mali powerhouse Ousseynou Cisse. But the 26-year-old summer signing from Tours somehow eluded the Queens Park Rangers defence on Saturday to dance towards goal, curling his first — and what proved to be the winning — goal past Alex Smithies. Born and raised in Suresnes, a small town six miles outside Paris, Cisse is a player whose career has largely unwound in the French second division, where the spotlight rarely shines.
Yet in his first taste of the FA Cup, he shone at both ends with a dominant and disciplined performance. Now he is dreaming of a battle against one of the Premier League giants in round four. ‘I don’t care but I want a big team,’ the midfielder said. ‘Manchester United, Manchester City or Tottenham, just a big team.’ Similar in physique to United’s Paul Pogba, the spotlight would shine even brighter if Cisse turned match-winner against a leading side. For MK Dons boss Robbie Neilson, however, the club’s key fixture of the season is back in League One this weekend when fierce rivals AFC Wimbledon visit for a relegation battle. ‘Everyone is happy and it is great that we are through but the big game for us is Wimbledon,’ Neilson said. ‘We want to go as far as we can but with the realisation that the league is the main one for us.’ As for the toppled QPR, there is nothing magical about the FA Cup for them. Without a third-round win at the first time of asking in 22 years, the Hoops are closing in on having the worst third-round record in the competition’s history. This 49th defeat leaves them one behind Plymouth Argyle. ‘We (QPR) can win the Cup but we’ve got to wait until next year now,’ said QPR manager Ian Holloway.