Dons forward Jemal Johnson has spoken of his pride after leading out his team in Saturday's League 1 opener against Hartlepool United.

American Johnson was hand-picked by manager Paul Ince as his stand-in captain in the absence of regular skipper Dean Lewington, and helped guide an injury-ravaged side to a creditable opening-day point.

It was a memorable moment for the 24-year-old marksman, who enjoyed a superb pre-season after returning to the Club, having initially looked set to leave upon the expiration of his contract in the summer.

He told mkdons.com: "It was a great feeling, obviously I was proud and very happy that the Gaffer gave me the responsibility to lead out the lads. It was a good experience for me as a player and it's going to help me develop if I'm being chosen to go out in the captain's role.

"The Gaffer came over to me with the armband and I just had a smile on my face. He then said 'JJ you'll be captaining the side today' and I just laughed to myself because I wasn't sure if he was joking or not! I took it off him as quick as I could and hid it under my clothes. Thankfully, he wasn't messing around.

"The lads gave me a bit of a pat on the back and told me I'd done well in pre-season so to keep doing my thing. And to make sure I'm not late!"

With Lewington still struggling with illness and several other senior players out through injury, Johnson is likely to lead the Dons again when they host Swindon Town in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.

And having been on the receiving end of a 5-0 hammering at Gillingham on Saturday, JJ says the Robins will be eager to bounce back strongly at stadiummk.

He said: "They'll be raring to go after a 5-0 defeat on Saturday, but it's a home game for us so it's a good chance to open our account for the season with a good home win.

"We play them in the league on Saturday as well so it'll be a good chance for us to work them out before then.

"Every game that we play we want to get performances and hopefully on Tuesday we can get a better one than we did on Saturday. We kept a clean sheet, which was a good start to the season, and with the bodies we've got out and everything going on, it wasn't a bad result."

Tickets for Tuesday night's Carling Cup tie against Swindon Town at stadiummk are on sale from the MK Dons Online Ticket Service, over the phone on 01908 622900, from the MK Dons Box Office at stadiummk and the Box Office on Crown Walk at thecentre:mk.

The MK Dons Box Office at stadiummk is now open from 8.30am - 6.00pm Monday to Friday, with extended hours until 8.00pm on Thursdays. Supporters ordering tickets by phone must provide formal identification upon collection. Tickets can only be collected by the credit card holder purchasing the tickets. For more information call the Box Office hotline on 01908 622900.