League 1 is no walk in the park, says Bowditch

Having picked up seven points from 12 on their return to the third tier, Dons were unable to add to their tally on Saturday as they put in their worst performance of the season so far, going down 2-0 at home to rivals Peterborough.

Dons’ home form has been something of an issue already, having trailed 2-0 in all three of their matches at Stadium MK, despite looking more than capable on the road.

For Bowditch, who is returning to first team duty after missing much of pre-season through injury, he believes some people may be overlooking just how difficult League 1 is.

“Last season, we found it difficult because we were the underdogs all the time,” he said. “But people underestimate League 1 - there are some fantastic players at this level.

“We got relegated last year, but we’re one of the favourites to come back up again. Teams are going to come here to our stadium and do well. We’ve just got to stand up like men and be counted, putting in performances that we know we can do.

“We’re trying to play a brand of football we used when we got promoted, but we’re half a yard too slow, or passing too short, and that’s costing us.

“We’re just as frustrated as the fans. They’re frustrated with the way we’re playing and that’s understandable. We can’t just throwing our hands in the air and moaning at each other because that won’t help us back into games. When it doesn’t happen, you can understand the frustration from the fans.

“But we cannot keep conceding first at home. It’s not all the defenders’ fault, because it’s a team game and we’re not really creating chances up front, so we just aren’t doing well enough.”