There will be plenty to play for at Stadium MK on Saturday but MK Dons boss Robbie Neilson wants his players to focus on their own objective – securing three points.
Opponents Gillingham sit just two spots above Sky Bet League One’s bottom four places and will be desperate for victory this weekend as they look to move away from the drop. Neilson’s side, meanwhile, are also after a win – one which could see them climb up to 14th in the table.
“There are a lot of teams in the same situation, us included, where they are just trying to get the points on the board,” Neilson told the media in his pre-match press conference.
“The focus has got to be on us, though. If we turn up with our a-game, we will hopefully win the game.”
He added: “We want to win as many games as we can. The focus is on Saturday – hopefully we can win that and then we’ll move on to Charlton this Tuesday.”
Here’s what else we learnt from Neilson’s press conference...
Positive news on the injury front
“They’re all good. A couple of them missed the first couple of days of the week but they were all back (on Thursday) and ready to go for Saturday.”
Contract negotiations on hold
“We know the route we want to take but the concentration at the moment is on getting the points on the board to make sure that we secure our league position. We’re still in a situation where we’ve got to have everyone on board. Once we get those points, we can start taking things on a bit further and start building for next year.”
Darren Potter’s contract situation cleared up
“Darren will be available for us for the rest of the season. To Darren’s credit, there was a clause in his contract but he decided to waiver it because he wants to help the team out. Once we get the points on the board we’ll discuss things with him.”
“There are a lot of teams in the same situation, us included, where they are just trying to get the points on the board,” Neilson told the media in his pre-match press conference.
“The focus has got to be on us, though. If we turn up with our a-game, we will hopefully win the game.”
He added: “We want to win as many games as we can. The focus is on Saturday – hopefully we can win that and then we’ll move on to Charlton this Tuesday.”
Here’s what else we learnt from Neilson’s press conference...
Positive news on the injury front
“They’re all good. A couple of them missed the first couple of days of the week but they were all back (on Thursday) and ready to go for Saturday.”
Contract negotiations on hold
“We know the route we want to take but the concentration at the moment is on getting the points on the board to make sure that we secure our league position. We’re still in a situation where we’ve got to have everyone on board. Once we get those points, we can start taking things on a bit further and start building for next year.”
Darren Potter’s contract situation cleared up
“Darren will be available for us for the rest of the season. To Darren’s credit, there was a clause in his contract but he decided to waiver it because he wants to help the team out. Once we get the points on the board we’ll discuss things with him.”
“It’s about giving them an opportunity of getting that first-team football. Some of them have found it difficult this year because they are at that level where they’re too old for the Under-18s but they are not quite ready for the first-team. We wanted to keep them here to train with us so they didn’t go out on loan. Bridging that gap is something that we’re talking about.”
Boss keen to bridge the gap for young professionals
“The aim is to finish as high up the table as we can – a top-half finish is what we’re looking for – but also build for next season. We’ll do by giving some of the young players a chance once we get the points on board. We need to see how they cope in a competitive environment – with a view to try and win the game, of course. Hopefully they can get some game time and progress as well.”
Youth to get a chance
“Dean had an illness last Thursday and he missed training on the Friday. He didn’t travel with us because of the bug but he’s back in ready to go.”
Dean Bowditch’s absence at Port Vale down to illnessTickets for this Saturday's clash with Gillingham at Stadium MK are priced from £22 adults, £17 over-65s/under-21s and £7 under-18s, while under-12s go FREE with a Young Dons membership.
To book tickets click here, visit the Box Office/centre:mk kiosk or call 0333 200 5343.
