Captain Dean Lewington isn’t one for fan-fair, which is why the left-back chose for Testimonial match to double-up as a pre-season friendly for his MK Dons side.
On Sunday afternoon, stadiummk will play host to Dean’s Testimonial, which will see Karl Robinson’s side go head-to-head with Sky Bet Championship Nottingham Forest in their first home match of 2014/15.
There will be no celebrities, legends game or blockbuster opponent, just a straight forward friendly for Robinson and his players to test themselves against strong opposition ahead of the new campaign.
“It’s what I wanted,” Lewington told MK Dons Player. “I didn’t want too much of a fan-fair around it. I wanted to make it more of a spectacle and for us to play against a decent team which will give us a proper test.
“It’s ten years for the club this season and it’s going to be an important one, so this time is important in the preparing for that. It’s nice to be able to do the testimonial and at the same time use it as a stepping stone for us to get ready for the season.”
The Testimonial comes after Lewington completed his 10th season with the Club last campaign, one which saw the left-back pass 500 appearances in a Dons shirt at home to Leyton Orient in May.
He added: “When you first start you just see things as game-to-game really, so to just get to 100 was a big achievement for me. Slowly the years have passed without me really noticing and it was only when I got to 500 last year when I realised how long it’s been.
“It’s one of those things that creeps up on you slowly and certainly not something you set out to do. I’ve just always been really happy here and at the Football Club so it’s worked well together.”
There was some fear earlier this week that Lewington may not be able to feature in his own Testimonial, after he hobbled off injured during the second half of the Dons’ pre-season victory over Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday.
At the time, the injury looked serious but thankfully the 30-year-old has escaped with nothing more than a bruise to the knee.
“I’m fine although when it first happened it was painful and it was around my medial ligaments which I’ve done three or four times before. Straight away I felt it and thought it was torn but thankfully it was just a bang on the knee and apart from a little bruise I’m okay.”
Finally, Lewington couldn’t go without giving a special mention to the Dons fans for their support during his 10-years in Milton Keynes and, of course, their Orange 4 Lewie showing on the final day of last season.
“I’m very grateful to the fans. I’d like to think we’ve always had a good relationship, they’ve been good to me and I’m very thankful that I play here really.
“The last game of last season was just amazing really. I heard about the campaign and genuinely though there would be two or three people in orange shirts but it was great to come out and see everyone in orange.”
Tickets for Dean’s Testimonial match are still available to buy, priced from just £10 for adults and £5 for under-18s. Click here to purchase tickets or visit us at stadiummk, thecentre:mk, call 01908 622900 or email boxoffice@mkdons.com.
There will be no celebrities, legends game or blockbuster opponent, just a straight forward friendly for Robinson and his players to test themselves against strong opposition ahead of the new campaign.
“It’s what I wanted,” Lewington told MK Dons Player. “I didn’t want too much of a fan-fair around it. I wanted to make it more of a spectacle and for us to play against a decent team which will give us a proper test.
“It’s ten years for the club this season and it’s going to be an important one, so this time is important in the preparing for that. It’s nice to be able to do the testimonial and at the same time use it as a stepping stone for us to get ready for the season.”
The Testimonial comes after Lewington completed his 10th season with the Club last campaign, one which saw the left-back pass 500 appearances in a Dons shirt at home to Leyton Orient in May.
He added: “When you first start you just see things as game-to-game really, so to just get to 100 was a big achievement for me. Slowly the years have passed without me really noticing and it was only when I got to 500 last year when I realised how long it’s been.
“It’s one of those things that creeps up on you slowly and certainly not something you set out to do. I’ve just always been really happy here and at the Football Club so it’s worked well together.”
There was some fear earlier this week that Lewington may not be able to feature in his own Testimonial, after he hobbled off injured during the second half of the Dons’ pre-season victory over Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday.
At the time, the injury looked serious but thankfully the 30-year-old has escaped with nothing more than a bruise to the knee.
“I’m fine although when it first happened it was painful and it was around my medial ligaments which I’ve done three or four times before. Straight away I felt it and thought it was torn but thankfully it was just a bang on the knee and apart from a little bruise I’m okay.”
Finally, Lewington couldn’t go without giving a special mention to the Dons fans for their support during his 10-years in Milton Keynes and, of course, their Orange 4 Lewie showing on the final day of last season.
“I’m very grateful to the fans. I’d like to think we’ve always had a good relationship, they’ve been good to me and I’m very thankful that I play here really.
“The last game of last season was just amazing really. I heard about the campaign and genuinely though there would be two or three people in orange shirts but it was great to come out and see everyone in orange.”
Tickets for Dean’s Testimonial match are still available to buy, priced from just £10 for adults and £5 for under-18s. Click here to purchase tickets or visit us at stadiummk, thecentre:mk, call 01908 622900 or email boxoffice@mkdons.com.
