There won’t be too much emphasis on the result when Dons play Norwich

There will not be too much pressure on MK Dons in the Carabao Cup first round game against Norwich City.

With the league cup bringing up the curtains on the season this year, Paul Warne’s side will be taking on Championship opposition in their first competitive outing and it is a personal one for the Dons boss.

A childhood fan of the Canaries, Warne is excited to head back to Carrow Road where he watched Norwich as a youngster and is bringing plenty of family and friends to see his Dons side in action.

Last season, Dons also faced Championship opposition in the first round when they took on Bristol City and were beaten 2-0 at Ashton Gate - a result which Warne did not overly concern himself at the time.

But the result itself will not be treated as the be all and end all for Warne. Coming a week before the League One campaign kicks off at the Kassam Stadium against Oxford United, the head coach said the game in Norfolk will be looked at as the culmination of their pre-season campaign rather than the start of the season proper.

“The Norwich game will be a bit like the end of pre-season for us,” Warne said. “We’re not treating it as just a friendly, but the real bread and butter is the league.

“They had a real pick up in form after a change of manager, so it will be a tough ask for us.”

From a personal perspective, Warne admitted he is looking forward to going back to Norfolk, adding: “I’m really excited. My mum, brother, my best mates are all going. I’ll need about 80 tickets! It’ll be a weird way to end the summer, I’ll go home and see my family and then the real business will happen.

“It’s always nice going to Carrow Road, they’re my boyhood club, I always look for their results so it will be a nice trip for us.”