Robbie Neilson is expecting Sky Bet League One to be a tough division in 2017/18 but the MK Dons boss is excited to see how his players step up to the mark.
The Dons discovered their full 2017/18 schedule on Wednesday and begin the campaign with a tough home fixture against Wigan Athletic before facing the likes of Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers in the first month.
“There are a lot of good teams in the league this year,” said Neilson.
“You’ve got three good teams coming up – big teams, good venues to go to and teams who will bring big supports here – and you’ve got good teams coming out of the Championship as well.
“It is a tough league but you want to play against good teams and test yourself. We want to show that we can beat these teams so it will be an exciting year.”
A month that stands out in the fixture list is September, where the men from MK1 face rivals Peterborough United and AFC Wimbledon as well as local sides Northampton Town and Oxford United in the space of just 24 days.
Neilson, though, insists his team’s full focus will be on their season opener against Wigan.
“We don’t really look at the derbies until we actually get to them. It’s important we concentrate on the first game of the season and then take care of the next one.
“If we can build momentum that way going into these derby games then I’m sure they’ll take care of themselves.”
