Martin wants to harness Harvie's aggression

"We can't afford to take that out of him, you don't see that as much any more"
Daniel HarvieDaniel Harvie
Daniel Harvie

Daniel Harvie must continue to use his fiery temperament to spur him on to big performances for MK Dons.

The 22-year-old popped up on both flanks for Dons, hit the post and scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 win at Stadium MK - his third goal of the season. It was only his second league start in two months too, limited to substitute appearances and an ill-fated half-hour against Wigan when he was withdrawn after just half an hour.

Speaking on Saturday, Harvie said he owed his manager a strong performance to convince him to keep him in the starting line-up over the Easter fixtures but felt he did so against Doncaster.Known for his 'heart on his sleeve' reactions on the pitch, Russell Martin says Harvie's aggression is a key component in what gives the Scot an edge, and if he can continue to make an impression as he did at the weekend, he will be a big player for Dons next season.

"He's a young boy from Glasgow so he's really intense with his play and aggressive with his approach," said Martin. "He's played men's football for a while now despite his age, but it's about managing that emotion and using it in your favour.

"Sometimes he's let it get the better of him no doubt, but when he does use it as fuel to drive him on to perform as he has done today, it gives him an edge, and I really like that edge.

"We can't afford to take that out of him, you don't see that as much any more. You need someone to do the nasty stuff, and he does it really well.

"His mentality is great. He gets frustrated with himself, he gets annoyed when he makes mistakes, but we have to expect that with young guys and he'll only get better next season. He's a great lad, he wants to do so well and he works so hard.

"It's a big call for next weekend to see who plays."