Training week to help Alexander address some of Dons’ early season issues

For the first time since before the season began, Graham Alexander is having time on the training ground with his MK Dons side this week.

The hectic fixture packing at the start of the campaign saw Dons in action five times in 14 days, with barely any time to do anything other than recovery and match preparation sessions with his side at Woughton on the Green.

But following Saturday’s dramatic late show against Colchester United, as they picked up their third win in four in League Two, Dons now have a week before kicking a ball again in the visit of Doncaster Rovers.

And for Alexander, the break between games is a welcome one as he looks to fix some of the issues he has spotted over the opening games.

“It’ll be good to get training into them,” he said. “We've had one full training session since before the Wrexham game that hasn't been a prep session before a game or a regeneration session.

“We'll look back and review what we've done in the first four games and then hit the game hard next week.

“It's straight in at the deep end at this point. The boys are ready, they've worked exceptionally hard in pre-season for this, but not just this first month but the whole season. We're getting fitter with each game.

“It's not a negative from our perspective of having a game every three days, but an opportunity to get match fit, and I think we've still got a little way to go in that.”

The fixture loading in August sees clubs thrust into the action immediately following nearly three months without a competitive game, with some managers criticising the way players are expected to immediately pick up the heavy work load.

And with new stoppage time rules, meaning Dons have already played an additional hour of football in their opening five matches, Alexander said the early season could weigh heavy on some.

He said: “The games have to be put in somewhere, and you can't put the midweek games back into winter because of the difficulties with weather and travelling, so I understand why it's loaded the way it is.

“But this season, with the extra added time we're playing, the lads could be playing an extra four or five games over the course of a season. I'm sure the players don't mind playing but you have to have a squad to manage that load.

“There are a lot of games in this country, but it's one of the most popular countries to watch football and that's for a reason - it's tough, it's hard, the intensity is there in every game. The teams with the strongest will and resilience will come though.”