Carl Baker says playing against MK Dons was always one of his ‘most difficult games’ so he is pleased to be on the other side of things this season.
Baker put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal at stadiummk last Friday, having been a free agent following his departure from the Dons’ Sky Bet League 1 rivals Coventry City back in the summer.
“Playing against MK Dons for Coventry was always one of our most difficult games and it wasn’t a team I particular enjoyed playing because you didn’t see much of the ball,” he told MK Dons Player. “This ground was a frustrating and hard place to come and play, so it will be nice to be on the other side of that this time around.”
After leaving the Sky Blues in September, Baker attracted interest from a host of Football League clubs but says that as soon as he discovered Robinson was interested in bringing him to Milton Keynes, his mind was made up.
He said; “I have spoken to other clubs and I do appreciate their interest in me but as soon as I knew Karl was interested in bringing me here, and after I came down and watched a couple of games, I knew where I wanted to go.
“There were a lot of things that attracted me to this Club. First and foremost, the manager here is fantastic. I’ve known Karl a while and I love his philosophy and his style of play.
“Also, this is a great club, the stadium is lovely and there are some great players here. I’m excited by what the club wants to achieve, so it will be nice to be a part of that.
“I’m pleased to be here and now I need to get my head down, get a few training sessions under my belt and hopefully get on the pitch sometime soon.”
Baker spent a week training with the Dons before signing on the dotted line and the Liverpudlian says he was blown away by the positivity surrounding the group following their strong start to the 2014/15 season.
“I’ve been here a while now and the positivity around the place is frightening, to be honest. All way the through from the young lads to the senior lads, you can feel the buzz around the place. Obviously results have helped that and hopefully that will continue.
“It was nice to come here, meet the lads and get some sessions under my belt. I’ve really enjoyed it, they’re a great bunch of lads here and you can see why they’ve done so well so far.”
As well as providing an experienced head, Baker also brings with him an eye for goal, having netted 25 goals in 98 appearances the past two seasons and he hopes, in this team, to continue that form.
He said; “I do like to chip in with the old goal here and there. With the way the team plays here and the quality of player, I will get a lot more chances. I’ve been able to hit double figures most of the seasons I’ve played in this division and hopefully that can continue.”
Baker will be hoping to kick off his Dons career this weekend when the men from MK1 travel to Yeovil Town, but the former England C international isn’t expecting to start straight away, as he continues to build up his fitness following a difficult summer.
“I’ve been in the gym for last five weeks so I feel stronger than I’ve ever been but I haven’t done much running or much impact stuff because I had a bit of a shin injury,” he said. “These last few weeks I’ve managed to get some of that under my belt so although I don’t feel like I’m there yet, I’m not too far away.
“I don’t expect to jump straight into the starting XI because there are a lot of good players here and they’ve obviously been performing really well but when my first game comes I will be really excited. I can’t wait to get back on the pitch again.”
Tickets for the trip to Yeovil Town this weekend are available to buy from the Box Office until 5pm on Friday or the kiosk at thecentre:mk until 7pm on Thursday.
To purchase tickets, visit either the Box Office at stadiummk or the kiosk at thecentre:mk, call 01908 622900 or e-mail boxoffice@mkdons.com.
“Playing against MK Dons for Coventry was always one of our most difficult games and it wasn’t a team I particular enjoyed playing because you didn’t see much of the ball,” he told MK Dons Player. “This ground was a frustrating and hard place to come and play, so it will be nice to be on the other side of that this time around.”
After leaving the Sky Blues in September, Baker attracted interest from a host of Football League clubs but says that as soon as he discovered Robinson was interested in bringing him to Milton Keynes, his mind was made up.
He said; “I have spoken to other clubs and I do appreciate their interest in me but as soon as I knew Karl was interested in bringing me here, and after I came down and watched a couple of games, I knew where I wanted to go.
“There were a lot of things that attracted me to this Club. First and foremost, the manager here is fantastic. I’ve known Karl a while and I love his philosophy and his style of play.
“Also, this is a great club, the stadium is lovely and there are some great players here. I’m excited by what the club wants to achieve, so it will be nice to be a part of that.
“I’m pleased to be here and now I need to get my head down, get a few training sessions under my belt and hopefully get on the pitch sometime soon.”
Baker spent a week training with the Dons before signing on the dotted line and the Liverpudlian says he was blown away by the positivity surrounding the group following their strong start to the 2014/15 season.
“I’ve been here a while now and the positivity around the place is frightening, to be honest. All way the through from the young lads to the senior lads, you can feel the buzz around the place. Obviously results have helped that and hopefully that will continue.
“It was nice to come here, meet the lads and get some sessions under my belt. I’ve really enjoyed it, they’re a great bunch of lads here and you can see why they’ve done so well so far.”
As well as providing an experienced head, Baker also brings with him an eye for goal, having netted 25 goals in 98 appearances the past two seasons and he hopes, in this team, to continue that form.
He said; “I do like to chip in with the old goal here and there. With the way the team plays here and the quality of player, I will get a lot more chances. I’ve been able to hit double figures most of the seasons I’ve played in this division and hopefully that can continue.”
Baker will be hoping to kick off his Dons career this weekend when the men from MK1 travel to Yeovil Town, but the former England C international isn’t expecting to start straight away, as he continues to build up his fitness following a difficult summer.
“I’ve been in the gym for last five weeks so I feel stronger than I’ve ever been but I haven’t done much running or much impact stuff because I had a bit of a shin injury,” he said. “These last few weeks I’ve managed to get some of that under my belt so although I don’t feel like I’m there yet, I’m not too far away.
“I don’t expect to jump straight into the starting XI because there are a lot of good players here and they’ve obviously been performing really well but when my first game comes I will be really excited. I can’t wait to get back on the pitch again.”
Tickets for the trip to Yeovil Town this weekend are available to buy from the Box Office until 5pm on Friday or the kiosk at thecentre:mk until 7pm on Thursday.
To purchase tickets, visit either the Box Office at stadiummk or the kiosk at thecentre:mk, call 01908 622900 or e-mail boxoffice@mkdons.com.
