With no game this afternoon, Karl Robinson insists all eyes are on next week’s clashes with Carlisle United and Tranmere Rovers.
MK Dons are without a League game this weekend due to Preston North End’s involvement in The FA Cup with Budweiser, meaning the side’s next fixture is against the Cumbrians at Brunton Park on Tuesday night - with the difficult home tie against Tranmere Rovers following just four days later.
And therefore Robinson and his coaching staff are eager to make the most of their free weekend. The Liverpudlian told mkdons.com: “We’re going to be taking in some games this weekend. I’m going to watch Tranmere (Rovers) against Crewe (Alexandra) because we play Tranmere in seven days time, so it’s important we get up there.
“It also goes without saying that John Gorman’s got his Burns Night on Saturday evening, which he’s told me to plug. I’ve got to get back for that but in all seriousness it’s going to be a busy Saturday.
“We’ll then be back in training on Sunday so although we haven’t got a game it’s still going to be quite a busy schedule for everybody involved but it’s something that we’re looking forward to.”
The mini-break has given Robinson and his team time to analyse the recent performances – in particular Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra. The Dons boss criticised his team after the match for being far too open at the back but upon further review, the 33-year-old believes his team did enough to warrant the victory.
He added: “I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t think we were as open in the Crewe game as what I first thought. We were so dominant for the first hour and if wasn’t for that deflected set piece we could have got three points.
“There’s a frustration element, of course, but the players want to prove some people right on Tuesday and that’s how our mentality has got to be. We’ve got to go into every game with 100 percent effort and commitment.
“If you look at our record on a Tuesday night, I think we’ve only won three of 22 games. We’ve got to do more and it’s something we’re looking at. We’re going to change the plans going into Tuesday night games and see if that works because we need to get our Tuesday night performances right.”
