MK Dons midfielder Peter Leven has thanked the supporters who attended Saturday's Armed Forces Day against Yeovil Town, after they donated over £2,000 to support his fundraising efforts for Help for Heroes.

Former Rangers man Leven, whose pledge to donate £5.00 to the charity for every goal the Dons score this season inspired Saturday's event at stadiummk, was blown away by the generosity of the Dons faithful, who dug deep to DOUBLE his current tally at www.justgiving.com/peter-leven

A memorable afternoon, which saw a host of attending military organisations from around the region celebrated both before the match and at half-time, was capped when Leven himself converted a second-half penalty to secure the Dons a 2-2 draw.

And the 26-year-old Glaswegian, who celebrated his goal with a respectful salute for the Armed Forces in attendance, says he was delighted to play his part in a wonderful occasion.

He told mkdons.com: "I'd just like to say thank you to everyone for supporting the day on Saturday and my challenge this season. I know it's hard in the current climate for people at the moment, but the response we've had and the generosity people have shown has just been fantastic.

"To raise over £2,000 in one afternoon is an unbelievable effort and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who contributed their hard-earned money to a worthy cause.

Dons and Yeovil players form a pre-match guard of honour for RAF Halton on Armed Forces Day.

"Help for Heroes deserve all the help they can get, the work they do to support soldiers returning from conflict is absolutely brilliant.

"Hopefully on Saturday we managed to raise a lot of awareness as well as the money, because they deserve every bit of coverage they get.

"It was a fantastic day, a good crowd, soldiers all turning out in good numbers and me scoring a goal for them today just capped it all off."

With the £2129.86p raised on Saturday taking his grand total within sight of the £5,000-mark, Peter's season-long campaign already looks set to contribute a huge amount to Help for Heroes.

Online betting giant Betfair have also thrown their support behind his efforts, by pledging to match whatever the Scot can raise between now and the end of the season.

It should provide a big boost for the Football League's official 2009/10 charity partner, which assists the recovery of servicemen returning from conflict all over the world.

And it's those brave men and women that remain at the front of Peter's thoughts as he looks to push on with the Dons' season.

He said: "My goal on Saturday was for every one of Britain's troops currently in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I hope they all stay safe while they're defending our country.

"Britain is blessed with the best Armed Forces in the world and the brilliant work they're doing to keep us all safe should never be forgotten."

If you'd like to show your support for Peter you can do just that at www.justgiving.com/peter-leven. Whether you're representing a company, a supporter group or just making a personal contribution, all donations will be gratefully received, no matter how big or small. Make sure you also leave a message of support to spur Pete and the team on for the rest of the season.

You may decide, like Peter himself, to make a donation for every goal the Dons score this season and make regular contributions as you go. You might decide to make a one-off pledge for the season as many have done already. Or you might want to wait to see what the Dons' total is at the end of the campaign before you donate. Whichever way you choose to get involved, make sure you check the Gift Aid box to ensure the tax from your donations will also go to Help for Heroes.

Go to www.justgiving.com/peter-leven now to show your support.