Midfielder Conor McGrandles says there are two reasons why he will benefit from Tuesday’s pre-season opener.
Not only did the 21-year-old enjoy some match minutes, he also lined up and played alongside his new team-mates for the first time as he made his Dons debut.
He told iFollow MK Dons: “It was really good to be out there. Everyone knows how tough pre-season is so to get a game so early on was good.
“You train with your team-mates but it’s not the same as playing in a game alongside them, you learn how they want to play and they learn how you want to play. It’s vital you get time and I learnt a lot about the lads I was on the pitch with and hopefully they did with me too.
“I thought I did okay. I’m still a bit rusty but the fitness is improving and that’s the main thing in these games – the sharpness will come.
“We kept the ball well and created a lot of chances – we could have had more but it was a good workout.”
He added: “I’ve settled in really well and the boys have helped a lot with that – they’ve made me feel at home straight away.”
McGrandles is set for more action this weekend when the Dons take on Newport Pagnell Town and Aylesbury on Friday and Saturday respectively, but he had this message to the supporters who turned out for the game at Stratford Fields.
He said: “It’s good to try and impress the fans and it was good to see them come out for a friendly and in decent numbers too – hopefully they enjoyed the game.”
