Alexander is eager to beat long-time friend and Crawley boss Lindsey

Long-time friends Graham Alexander and Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey have plenty to catch-up on on Tuesday night when their sites meet, but more than anything else, they want to beat each other.

Dons’ head coach first met Lindsey in the Scunthorpe academy where the pair came through the ranks in the mid-1990s. While Alexander’s career continued into the professional leagues, Lindsey’s continued in non-league with both playing into the 2010s.

Their coaching and management careers began around the same time too, with Alexander taking over the caretaker role at Preston North End in December 2011, while Lindsey took up a role at Lincoln City alongide manager Chris Sutton in 2009, and spent time at Forest Green Rovers and Swindon Town too before joining Crawley Town in January of this year.

With the pair set to lock horns as opposing numbers in the dugouts, Alexander said he was keen to catch up with his friend again, but said their friendship blossomed by wanting to beat each other.

“I've known Scott since my youth-team days at Scunthorpe,” Alexander said. “He was a local lad, and joined just after me and we quickly became good mates. We're similar characters, wanted to win every day and took a shine to each other quickly. Our careers went different ways but we've always kept in touch over the 34 years - makes me feel old!

“His journey to where he is now is amazing, what he's had to overcome on and off the field. If there's one thing we know about each other though is that we want to beat each other. But that's why we were so close.”

Lindsey’s rescue act last season ensured the Red Devils kept their place in League Two by the skin of their teeth. Keen to draw a line under it though and move on, Alexander said he is trying to perform a similar role at Stadium MK, adding: “It's exactly like us. He has a bit of a headstart on us, knowing his squad and stuff, but both teams had disappointing seasons but have started this year positively. There's a long way to go.

“He's done a really good job at Crawley. He took over in a really difficult circumstance, kept them up, and they've started this season really well with good results in the league.

“I know what his ambitions are for the season, and we know it will be a really tough game for us.”