Bird soars for Dons in win over Burton Albion

Burton Albion 1-2 MK Dons
Jay Bird was limited to just four appearances last season, but netted in his first outing this season by scoring the opener against Burton Albion in the 2-1 win at the Pirelli StadiumJay Bird was limited to just four appearances last season, but netted in his first outing this season by scoring the opener against Burton Albion in the 2-1 win at the Pirelli Stadium
Jay Bird was limited to just four appearances last season, but netted in his first outing this season by scoring the opener against Burton Albion in the 2-1 win at the Pirelli Stadium

It was a night to make good impressions at the Pirelli Stadium last night, and Jay Bird did that as Dons picked up a 2-1 win over Burton Albion.

Making eight changes to his side, Liam Manning was able to see some of his fringe players in the Papa John’s Trophy opener, and he was impressed with Bird’s impact on the game.

The attacker has struggled to breakout at Dons after two long-term injuries in the last two seasons saw him spending more time in the treatment room than on the training ground.

Back fit again though, Bird made his first start of the season on Tuesday and impressed with his work-rate on and off the ball, capping the night with a well-taken opening goal on 58 minutes.

“Jay did really well tonight, as did the other lads who haven’t played as many minutes,” said Harry Darling, who netted Dons’ second goal six minutes later. “We’ll need everyone. To do well, we’ll need everyone to play a part and as we saw tonight, everyone can come in and do a job.”

Coach Manning added: “He did well, and it was a good finish. But from everyone's work ethic, their attitude, commitment, their fight - the things that are non-negotiable, our starting point evert week.

“Everyone showed that fighting spirit and it puts us in a good position for the rest of the season. We showed we've got good depth to make an impact.”

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