Ex-Forest Green Rovers assistant manager Scott Lindsey’s Milton Keynes Dons will aim to disrupt the good momentum Swindon Town are building with a positive result in League Two.
Ian Holloway’s Robins couldn’t have produced a better start if they tried, with two wins from two in cup competitions which has set them up in the best possible position ahead of the return of League Two action.
The former Millwall manager has filled the boots of Mark Kennedy, a manager who struggled to ignite the true quality from within the squad and left the club 22nd in the fourth division as his contract was terminated in late October.
The iconic character in Holloway was named as his replacement and after a positive start, the tie on the weekend will be the biggest test yet and could be a huge turning point in the season for them.
Lindsey’s team will prove to be a big threat to a lot of teams in the division but the experienced manager in the hot seat in Wiltshire expressed the desire to build confidence within the squad before getting ahead of themselves.
He admitted: “I don’t think we talk well enough as a group yet, I don’t think we do.
“I’ve got an awful lot of work to do to make sure they understand and really it’s about where’s my teammate? Where’s the ball? Have we got any pressure on it?
“We need to have that purpose but the more you get that understanding, the more confident you become and the easier it is to do it.
“It’s all about building and you have to be consistent and you have to commit to it.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAn almost fully fit squad is at Town’s proposal with Rosaire Longelo being the only doubt whilst Grant Hall is still facing his suspension following a red card against Gillingham.
On Saturday, the clash between the two sides will be a game between two teams at complete opposite sides of the fourth division.
Over 500 away fans will travel to Stadium MK to face a team who is managed by someone the visiting supporters will know very well, as Lindsey was in charge at the County Ground from the summer of 2022 until early 2023.
The new man in charge of the Buckinghamshire outfit is not impacted from his previous experiences however and told club media that he is determined to do his job.
He said: “It’s football. Nearly every club you play against, you know somebody at that club or you’ve had some kind of link to it.
“It so happens that I managed that club a few years ago now but that doesn’t make a difference really.
“I’ll just be doing my job as best I can and hopefully, we get the win.”
With a very strong team, the hosts will be missing two key midfielders ahead of the clash on the weekend.
Midfield duo Liam Kelly and Tom Carroll are doubts for the game, which would be a huge loss for MK Dons.
Carroll is a former Premier League player and was a regular with Swansea City in 2017 and now 32, is a great coup for this level and provides a lot of experience in the middle.
Kelly was poached from Crawley in the summer and the former Feyenoord player has linked up with his old boss this season.
The Dons have been difficult to stop in the league since the managerial change and have lost just once in the division, which was a narrow defeat to lead leaders, Port Vale.
