Russell Martin believes his MK Dons side must approach every one of their final 17 matchers as if it is their biggest game of the season.
Tonight at Stadium MK, Martin’s men entertain Rochdale, who sit two places and four points above them in the Sky Bet League One table and while aware of how important tonight’s encounter is, the Dons boss feels his players should be treating all of their games with the same mentality.
“Every game is huge for us, especially at home,” Martin said in his pre-match press conference ahead of this evening’s match.
“This will be our biggest game of the season and then Saturday will be, after that – that’s how we should approach things.
“I'm respectful of Rochdale, their manager and the way that they play. We've watched quite a bit of them and, on their day, they're really, really good. They can pass the ball as well as anybody in this division.
“But we’re at Stadium MK and, as always, it's about what we do. I’m really confident and hopeful if the players can show what I've seen in training this last week, it will be a positive result for us.”
A victory tonight, coupled with results elsewhere, could see the Dons climb above AFC Wimbledon into 19th place in the Sky Bet League One and move as many as six points clear of the bottom three.
Martin is disappointed that their position isn’t more favourable at this stage.
“We should have more points than we have,” he commented. “We've given away points at Doncaster [Rovers], Southend [United], Burton [Albion] and even against Sunderland, where I felt we were great for 45 minutes.
“Performances are pretty much there, we just now need to sharpen up in certain areas, particularly in both boxes. We're still in the position we're in, yes, but if we can replicate what we've done in the last seven or eight weeks in the next seven or eight weeks, we'll be okay
“It's time for us now to turn these performances into results.”
***
Tickets are priced at £22 adults, £17 seniors and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE with an accompanying adult. Supporters can upgrade to premium seats in the East Centre for a £5 premium while an upgrade to clubRed is just £10 more.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off from the Box Office.
Can't make the game? Supporters will be able to watch this match live on iFollow MK Dons for just £10 - click HERE to purchase a Video Match Pass!
