Mark Jackson is under no illusions that MK Dons must start picking up results, with only 14 games remaining in their season.
The Dons currently sit 22nd in the Sky Bet League One table on 29 points, two points adrift of safety.
With only a solitary point to their name in their last three outings, Jackson knows his team must start getting results if they are to climb out of their current standing and although they face a difficult test against third-placed Ipswich Town on Saturday, the Head Coach is backing his players to return to winning ways.
“We’re fully aware of the challenge ahead,” Jackson said in his pre-match press conference.
“We knew this period of fixtures would be challenging but we still thought we could come out with something. So far that hasn’t been the case but now it’s all about getting results and we need that soon.
“To do that, we need to defend better, collectively as well as individually. We need to action on that quickly and that’s not just the back four - it’s all of the players as a whole.
"We want to limit teams to minimal chances and that’s always tough when you’re coming up against the big teams in the league because we need to maintain our attacking threat as well.
“Ultimately, we want to combine all aspects of the game to benefit us a team. We can’t leak goals at one end and create loads of chances at the other end. Likewise, we can’t be defensively solid and then not take our opportunities at the top-end.
“As a group, we’ve also spent a lot of time this week speaking about the mental side of our game. We talked about the previous two games and where we need to do better and how we can help each other, but we must focus our attention on what’s coming rather than what’s gone so that we can quickly get results in our favour.
“We’ll need to be in that mindset on Saturday against an extremely good team in Ipswich (Town).”
Jackson could be without the services of Daniel Harvie this weekend, with the left-back struggling to shake off a knee injury sustained against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Dons though, are boosted by the return of Ethan Robson in midfield – the number 8 has missed the last seven matches because of a hamstring problem.
“Following Sheffield Wednesday, Daniel Harvie felt his knee so we’ve been monitoring him throughout this week," Jackson revealed. "Fortunately his fitness levels are really good, so we can look after him, but we’ll asses him (on Friday) to see how he goes.
“Ethan Robson is back in contention, and he’s been training throughout the week, which is really good news.
“Dean Lewington has also been taking part in the warm-ups and early stages of the sessions. We’ve been managing his progress, but he’s ahead of schedule which is a real positive for the team.”
Jackson also confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Joshua Kayode has returned to parent club Rotherham United to complete his rehabilitation on a season-ending thigh injury.
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Tickets for Saturday's Sky Bet League One clash with Ipswich Town are priced at £24 adults, £18 over-65s, £12 under-25s and £6 under-18s while under-12s and under-7s tickets are priced from £3. Upgrades are available to East Centre and Club Red. Please note, ticket prices will increase by £2 on the day of the game. Postcode restrictions apply.
To book tickets CLICK HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 01908 622933.
Can't make the game? Supporters can LISTEN to this fixture live on iFollow MK Dons for £2.50 - to purchase an Audio Match Pass CLICK HERE!
