Bigger expectations on Dons as they become a 'bigger scalp'

They might still be fighting at the bottom of the table, but MK Dons becoming a team that requires stopping, accoring to manager Russell Martin and midfielder Jordan Houghton.

Despite their league position - 18th after Saturday's defeat to Doncaster - Dons, especially at home, are beginning to make waves among the teams around them. Darren Moore's side appeared to sit back for long periods at Stadium MK, inviting Dons to break them down in the first half, rather than going on the front foot against a team fighting at the wrong end of the table.

However, Jacob Ramsey's goal midway through the second half was the difference as Dons were wasteful in the first half, missing out on their chance to put the result to bed early on.

Martin says, especially at Stadium MK, Dons should come to expect teams setting up to stifle them as their stock continues to rise.

He said: "We're all really disappointed given how good we've been here, but when you become a better team, you become a bigger scalp and teams have to respect you a bit more, and the fans expect more from you. We've created that for ourselves, we now have to manage that expectation.

"We've learned from every game, and we know what we want to work on. We just lacked a bit in our mentality in the second half, which is not something I've said about this group a lot. Hopefully, we'll get a good reaction."

Houghton added: "Most teams will come here and do what Doncaster did – frustrate us, sit back and hit us on the counter or on our mistakes. We have to look at what we can do to tighten up and not concede in vital moments. When they go 1-0 up, it's even harder to break down a team when they sit behind the ball."