Mid-season realisation for Parrott helped him pick up form again for Dons

Troy Parrott admitted there was a time when he felt he was letting his opportunity to shine at MK Dons slip through his fingers.

The Irish international, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, hit the ground running at Stadium MK with stand-out performances and three quick goals to his name. However, the forward saw his form dramatically dip after call-ups to the national side and a bout of Covid struck meaning his time in the side was fractured and intermittent.

While his form nose-dived, culminating in a needless red card against Leyton Orient in the Papa John’s Trophy, the emergence Max Watters also saw him struggle to get into the side. But the return of Watters to parent club Cardiff at the end of December handed Parrott his opportunity again, and since then he has become a catalyst in Dons’ turnaround to find themselves comfortably third in the standings.

But there was a time when Parrott saw he was not putting in as much effort as he could, and after something of an epiphany, realised he needed to up his own game to ensure he has a long career in football.

“I was doing well but I fell off a bit in the middle of the season if I'm being honest,” he admitted. “You only get one shot. This is what I want to do, I want to be a footballer and play at a high level and I realised I cannot let this go by.

“There was not one thing that changed, but I realised I cannot sit around and let it go by - every game has to count. I have to give it 110 per cent every game.

“Form comes into it, and confidence too but I’ve come to terms with giving my all and if I can contribute that way, the other stuff will take care of itself. Form is temporary, but I can choose how much effort I give and it’s up to me whether I give 110 per cent effort.”

And his performances have matched his chance in attitude. While he is still waiting since September for his last goal, his contributions elsewhere on the pitch have been huge for Dons, with stand-out showings against Sunderland and Bolton recently.

That elusive goal though he believes will come, but he would rather forego that statistic if it means helping the team to win.

He said: “Everyone wants to score, and it's not so much about the stats but about the feel-good factor afterwards. It boosts me as a player. But I just need to get into those positions and it should take care of itself.

“The ultimate goal though is for the team to win - it's no good me scoring but the team not getting the result. (Scoring) will help for my confidence and making me feel good about myself.

“But right now, I'm happy, I'm in a good position. I want to keep doing what I can do for the team.”