Robbie Neilson’s MK Dons have the chance to make it three straight wins tonight but the manager knows his team will need to be at their best to top a rejuvenated Northampton Town outfit.
Neilson and his team entertain the Cobblers at Stadium MK this evening looking to build on their victories over Rochdale and AFC Wimbledon - results which have seen them climb into the top half of Sky Bet League One.
Their opponents, Northampton, were winless coming into September but they’ve begun to find their feet after the appointment of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager - winning two of his four matches in charge.
“It will be a tough game for us,” Neilson said in his pre-match press conference. “I went up there on Saturday to watch the game against Bradford (City) and they were unlucky not to take anything from the game.
“Jimmy has come in and changed things a bit - they’ve got energy in the team and they try to get after it. I think he’s starting to turn it around already - I know they didn’t get a great result on Saturday but they’ve definitely picked up recently and I expect them to continue to do that.”
He added: “(Three straight wins) would be fantastic. We’ve got two and if we can get the third and fourth (on Saturday) then it would be great.
“However, we know in this league that you have to make sure you give 100 percent in every game because if you don’t then you’ll get turned over.”
Here’s what else we learnt from Neilson’s pre-match press conference…
AFC Wimbledon win an important result for the Club…
“Performance-wise it was okay but the magnitude of the game was vast for the Club. We had the disappointed there last year so to be able to go down there and get a victory was huge for us all.
“Hopefully it brings everyone together and we can start moving forward, getting a bit of momentum going.”
Continuing the climb up the table…
“It was a huge three points for us, with the way the other results went for us on Saturday. We’ve now got a couple of games this week where we’ll be hoping to take some more points and get ourselves up that league.”
Positive news on the injury front…
“We’re starting to get players back, which is great. Chuks (Aneke), (Joe) Walsh and Ed Upson will train (on Monday). They should be available for (Tuesday) if they come through it alright.
“Peter (Pawlett) is still another week or two away - we’re hoping that he’ll train towards the end of next week.”
Being ultra-cautious with Chuks…
“We’re probably being overly-cautious with Chuks after what happened last time when we brought him back and he did his hamstring. It’s really important we don’t push him too much so if he’s got any niggles at all then we’ll take him out because it’s not worth the risk.
“We’d love to him as he’s one of our top players but he’s got to be 100 percent. We’ve slowly progressed him and hopefully he can get some game-time in the coming weeks as we build up him for that first start.”
Facing former players…
“Obviously we know what type of player they are and what they like to do in certain situations. We’ll prepare for all their players, whether they’ve played for us before or they haven’t. We’ll make sure our players know what to expect.”
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Tickets for tonight's clash with Northampton Town are priced from just £10 adults and £5 under-18s. while under-12 Young Dons (Plus) members can still attend for FREE.
Supporters can upgrade to East Centre for a £5 premium, while a seat in clubRed is a £10 premium on the regular ticket price. Groups of 20 can book tickets at a discounted rate of £10 adults and £3 under-18s.
To book tickets click here, visit the Box Office or call 01908 622988. Tickets can also be bought from the cash-only booths around Stadium MK ahead of kick-off.
