Joe Walsh believes every match between now and the end of the season must be treated as a ‘big game’, not just this weekend’s top-of-the-table encounter with Lincoln City at Stadium MK.
The Dons, currently second in the Sky Bet League Two table, welcome the league-leading Imps to Milton Keynes on Saturday knowing a win would see them close the gap on top spot to five points, with five to play.
Speaking to Red Dot, Walsh recognised that Saturday’s clash carried importance but re-iterated that every one of the Dons’ final six games must be treated with the same amount of respect.
“I think we’ve got to go into every game until the end of the season wanting to win and viewing it as a big game,” Walsh said in an exclusive interview which will be available to read in this weekend’s edition of Red Dot - MK Dons’ matchday programme.
“Every game between now and the end of the season will be tough. Teams are fighting for promotion and others are trying to stay in the division so they’ll be fighting for their lives. Every game is a tough game so we need to make sure we are on our a-game every week.”
The Dons go into the weekend boasting the third-best defensive record in Sky Bet League Two and having kept the second-most clean sheets among teams in the division. Walsh, for one, is extremely proud of how the team has defended for the majority of the campaign.
“We work really hard in training on our defensive shape so to see it come to fruition on the pitch is pleasing,” he commented.
“We’ve had to chop and change our defence a number of times this season because we’ve had a lot of injuries but Tis puts us through a lot of different formations to make sure we are ready for everything.
“Hopefully we can keep a few more clean sheets between now and the end of the season.”
Read the full interview with Joe Walsh in Saturday's edition of Red Dot, which will be available to buy from sellers around Stadium MK and the Box Office at a price of £3.