Crampton's new director role will mean Dons fans see less of him

The familiar sight of Simon Crampton sprinting on to help Dons' injured players has come to an end as he takes up his new position as Performance Director,

Having treated Dons' players on the pitch since 2006, Crampton's new job will see him step away from more of the hands-on and day-to-day activity which made up his previous role as Head of Sports Science and Medicine at Stadium MK for a more organisational and managerial position.

Adam Ross, Crampton's second in command for 13 years, will take up the reigns on the field and in the treatment room, while Crampton's job change will also see more responsibility for Matt Willmot and Tom Bromley too.

"I'll still be around on matchdays, but I won't be sprinting on any more," said Crampton. "It's what I'm most known for but it was one of the smallest parts of my job. Adam will start taking over that side of it, he has been here for 13 years now, supporting me on matchdays. He'll take on more of that side of things and we're bringing in another physiotherapist.

"I'll take over managing the kit department, facilities and the groundstaff as well. I'll have more of a managerial role in logistics, like first team travel, pre-season, hotels. Ultimately, it's about maximising the culture we've already established at the club and making sure it continues in everything we do. It's something we've not always had.

"Matt is heavily involved in the way we condition the players for the way Russ wants to play. Tom will make sure the gym-based work makes our players strong enough to cope with the demands of Saturday-Tuesday football. We want to make someone jump higher, run quicker. Adam will take over the day-to-day management of injured players, and will be the head of rehabilitation. My role will be to manage the overall process and the people who are responsible for guiding those decisions."

Dons are also in the process of recruiting another chartered physiotherapist to expand the team further. Looking at the department now compared to when he joined the club, Crampton couldn't help but laugh at how far the club had come compared to his first day 15 years ago.

He said: "When I first arrived in 2006, I showed up at Woughton in a damp-infested room with a big queue of players, Clive Platt at the front, waiting to see a physio because there hadn't been one for a while. There were two boxes full of lotions and potions. From that, it has been a project. It's why I'm still here, it's what I'm invested in, and the club is very unique in the sense there's always something new and different going on to keep me motivated and committed to the club.

"From those two boxes, we've got the great facilities we do now. And now we have an ambition and aim every year to bring in something different - equipment, a gym refurb, a new staffing structure. We've done it in innovative ways because we've not got a big budget, but that's what I want to bring to other areas too."