Dons need to be aware of the environment around them during relegation scrap

The old cliche of not paying attention to the league table and results elsewhere is out the window at MK Dons.

Embroiled in the scrap for League One survival, both head coach Mark Jackson and defender Zak Jules said paying attention to results elsewhere around the bottom of the table is an inevitability and something they have to be checking on.

This month, Dons will be playing teams in and around the drop zone, knowing they will be huge six-pointers in the fight to stay up.

For Jules, while he doesn’t immediately jump on his phone at full-time to check results elsewhere, he said it is only natural to pay attention to what is going on around them, but that it was important not to get too hung up on what others are doing.

He said: “You can't really avoid it, it gets discussed one way or another. I don't look directly but you always hear after games who has and hasn't got results.

“Even at this stage though, it's important for us to concentrate on our games, control what we can control. If we win the games we need to win - which is preferably all of them! - we'll see where we end up.”

Jackson said there was no secret in admitting Dons have to be aware of their surroundings but also of the way members of the team react to the situation.

“Of course there's an awareness of where we are - I'd be lying if I said there wasn't,” he said. “But we understand what we need to do, and that every game will present us with different challenges.

“When you're down the bottom, there's an element of anxiety, and that what we have to manage. If you shy away from those emotions, or don't talk about it, it can be detrimental. We all support each other through these moments.

“Some players have been through times like these, others haven't, and some of the younger players have no fear of it, so there are all sorts of different ways to support each other.”