Alexander praises ‘warrior’ defender after making his MK Dons debut

Graham Alexander was full of praise for defender Tommy Smith after he made a strong debut in the 5-3 win over Wrexham on Saturday.

The 33-year-old signed for the club a little over a week ago, having trained with Dons for a few weeks following his release from Colchester United earlier in the summer.

Though Alexander is understood to prefer a back-four, Dons lined up with a five at the Racecourse Ground to face the newly promoted Red Dragons, with Smith playing on the left of Warren O’Hora and Jack Tucker.

Using all his experience and nous through the game, Smith performed brilliantly in his Dons debut, earning the paludits of his manager afterwards.

“He's a warrior,” said Alexander. “He came into pre-season fresh, showed us from the off that he has great character and spirit. He's had a great career but it's not over for him.

“We knew what type of game it would be today, it would need character and resilience and he has that in abundance. The more people you can look around the changing room and see that, the better.”