Burton boss wary of Dons bouncing back

Dons went down 2-1 to the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light as the Burton Albion manager watched on from the stands ahead of their clash this weekend.

Both sides currently have 12 points from nine games this season, and will meet for the first time on Saturday.

Clough said: “I saw them at Sunderland, and they might easily have had a point out of the game. They played very well in the second half and pushed them back. They will feel they aren’t playing too badly.”

Though the sides have never played against each other before, Clough has crossed paths with Tisdale on many occasions down the years. Back at Burton for his second spell as boss, Clough says Dons' ambition to get back to the Championship could lead to some exciting times at Stadium MK.

He continued: “The way his teams have played over the years has been commendable and he’s very highly thought of in the game, the way he goes about his business, his demeanour, everything. He doesn’t shout about it from the rooftops so sometimes he goes a bit under the radar.

“His achievements on and off the pitch at Exeter were brilliant and he has a new challenge now and he’s relishing it. MK Dons have been in the Championship and I’m sure he feels they can get back there at some point.

“They had a couple of bad seasons and found themselves down in League Two quite quickly. They are back up in League One and I don’t think there’s any great expectations on them this season. It’s a case of building and getting a side together that can challenge the top six in League One.

“They have a beautiful stadium, and they have ambitious owners and I think the next season or two will be quite exciting for them.”