MK Dons boss Manning mulls over changes for Taunton Town FA Cup test

Manning is considering his options after what he says has been 'a relentless' start to the season.

After a tough run, Dons have hit a bit of form in the past couple of games, winning at Charlton Athletic and then drawing 0-0 at Cheltenham Town last weekend.

Manning must be tempted to keep changes to a minimum to maintain momentum, but he also knows the FA Cup date with Taunton, and then Tuesday night's Carabao Cup clash with Morecambe, could be a chance to give players who haven't been playing some much-needed minutes.

“It’s a balance, right?” said the Dons head coach.

“We’ve made progress with the same team that played against Charlton and Cheltenham and obviously not having a midweek game, there’s an opportunity to keep a level of consistency but we also want to provide opportunities.

“It has been a really hectic period and relentless for the staff as well as the players.

"We gave them Monday off - we felt, given the volume of games and the intensity of the work, it was a good opportunity to give an extra day of rest.

“We’ve come in since and worked hard in training. It has felt different going out and taking a session with 20 players – we didn’t get a huge amount of opportunity to do that over October.

“We’re in a good spot from the week we’ve had. We’re excited about playing in the FA Cup game and it’s now about making sure that we go into the game ready.”

Asked about the state of his squad ahead of the Taunton game, Manning added: "“Tennai Watson and Mo Eisa are a lot closer.

"JJ Kayode has a slight ongoing knee issue that we're managing at the minute, and he's going to be out for a little while.

"We’ve had a few off with this week with sickness too but, apart from that, the rest of the squad is in a good spot.”