Five talking points after MK Dons’ opening day draw with Bolton Wanderers

MK Dons’ opening day 3-3 draw with Bolton Wanderers had a bit of everything but it did not quite end in fairy tale fashion for the travelling supporters. Here are a few of the talking points to come out of the University of Bolton Stadium afterwards.

Lewington really does not want the job

His ‘new look’ MK Dons side looked lively, attack-minded and scored a lot of goals too, his substitutes made an impression and the team-spirit looked better than ever, especially with Hiram Boateng’s late goal. But even despite the positive start, Lewington is still not interested in taking on the manager’s job long-term. He may have said he enjoyed himself on the sidelines when speaking to the media afterwards, but he’d much rather have been on the pitch than watching from the dugout.

Goals can come from nowhere

Seemingly, it doesn’t always take 150 passes to score a goal in League One! When you’ve got players like Mo Eisa, Scott Twine, Matt O’Riley and Troy Parrott floating around, Dons can cause a big threat to teams this season in the blink of an eye. Eisa netted with his first and only sight of goal when O’Riley capitalised on some slack defending, while Twine’s free-kick was an excellent way of introducing himself to the Dons fans. Last season, Dons were guilty of overplaying at times and over-complicating too. Sometimes, simple works too.

Fisher’s ability on the ball has been greatly missed

Goalkeepers can breed confidence, and it has been really evident in Dons’ opening two fixtures this season that Andrew Fisher has left a huge hole in the side while he has been out injured. The 23-year-old got injured in pre-season and hasn’t recovered in time to play in the first games, and Dons have suffered as a result. Finger’s cannot really be pointed at Franco Ravizzoli nor Laurie Walker - neither have a lot of experience playing at this level, but where Fisher can play the short passing game, the back-ups have struggled. Walker was definitely told at half-time to clear his lines after some pretty bizarre errors almost cost his side at Bolton.

Not everything is a conspiracy

A lot of chatter on social media predicted David Kasumu was in fact on his way out of the club after being left out of the side to play Bolton on Saturday despite being told he is injured. Unfortunately for the conspiracy theorists, the truth is far more disappointing - he’s injured for up to eight weeks. Of course, he could still be sold during the transfer window, which doesn’t close until the end of the month. But that’s not the reason he missed out at Bolton.

The resurrection of Hiram Boateng

Left in the doldrums for the last 20 months by Russell Martin, Boateng’s return not just to the team but to scoring ways came so close to being the fairy tale story. The widespread joy during the celebration of his 83rd minute goal showed the team-spirit and collective excitement for the midfielder’s return to the fold as well as the togetherness and unity amongst the players following a tough week at the club. His return to the light again though comes at a great time, especially with the injury to Kasumu.