Baldwin and Watson likely to miss the rest of the season

Neither Tennai Watson or Aden Baldwin are likely to feature for MK Dons in the final month of the season, with injuries keeping them sidelined for the foreseeale future.

Baldwin has not been seen since January, when he started in the 2-1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park, while Watson limped out of the 3-1 triumph over Cheltenham last month.

Defender Brandon Mason was signed two weeks ago as cover in particular for Watson, but head coach Liam Manning confirmed on Friday neither he nor Baldwin are expected to play a part in the remaining seven matches of the regular season.

“It will be difficult - they're not injuries they can be rushed back from,” he said. “From that perspective, we're unlikely to see either of the before the end of the season.”

The pair aside though, last week’s postponement of the game with Crewe allowed Manning to give the players a much-needed break after a hectic opening three months of 2022, with several players able to rest knocks and ailments.

He added: “We had a few players carrying little knocks too - not enough to keep them out and not playing but they've come back, fit and available. Everyone's recharged and ready for the final bit.

“We had a really heavy few months iwth a lot of big games, and a lot of long away trips which can really take it out of you. There's a lot of phsycal overload but there's mental overload as well with the demands and intensity we place on the players as well.

“It was really valuable, and seeing how they trained on Tuesday and Wednesday made me think it was a good opportunity.”