Healey 'just has a knack of scoring goals'

When asked about MK Dons' best strikers down the years, many lists will look the same. Rhys Healey though is making an excellent case to top those lists.

Healey fired home his 20th Dons goal in 39 appearances on Saturday when he found the back of the net for the only goal of the game as Russell Martin's side saw off Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at Stadium MK.

While many will still list the likes of Izale McLeod, Patrick Bamford, Will Grigg and Benik Afobe amongst the top strikers to have graced Stadium MK, Dean Lewington - one many to have played alongside all of them - believes Healey ranks right up there with them.

"When he's playing well, he's as good as any of them," he said. "He has a knack of scoring. He's a natural finisher. It's not always the nicest of strikes or textbook finishes but he's in the right place at the right time.

"Last season, when he wasn't in the team, we missed him massively."

And that reflected in the time he spent sidelined this season too. During his spell out between September and December, Dons did not win a game.

Lewington continued: "We missed everyone up front at that time, but goals change games and affect the performance. It's massive for us to know that if we keep it tight at the back, we've got guys like Rhys up front to stick it away at the other end."

It's not all good for Healey though, with Lewington adding: "He's one of the worst trainers! If you ask me on a Friday, you'll get a completely different answer to the one I'll give you today! He is a nightmare to play against, for a small lad, he uses his body amazingly. You don't realise how strong he is, and he has a natural timing to jump into people."

Manager Russell Martin admitted he was openly critical of Healey's attitude when he returned from injury in December, and demanded more from the former Cardiff City striker. However, Healey has paid him back in droves since.

"His approach to things has been brilliant," Martin said. "He has a smile on his face now and he applies himself. If we can teach him the offside rule, he'll be even better! I can't speak highly enough of him, and the fans can't too.

"He's a top, top player at this level and hopefully he'll keep improving. He's an important player for us, but there were some big performances out there."