Concern for Dons duo after physical draw with Grimsby
There was injury worry for two MK Dons players in Lincolnshire
Top-scorer Callum Paterson may need a break after he limped out of the game against Grimsby Town on Saturday.
The Scot has been in goal-scoring form of late, netting five goals in three games to sail to the top of MK Dons’ scoring charts with 12 to his name this season.
But after complaining of a sore knee at half-time at Blundell Park, after scoring from the penalty spot, he eventually came off with 20 minutes to go.
With Paterson having complained of the issue previously, head coach Paul Warne admitted he may need to omit his leading scorer for next week’s trip to Cheltenham Town in order to keep him safe from further injury.
“I don’t like to take key players off, and he is definitely one of our key players,” said Warne in Lincolnshire. “He wasn't jumping for headers and he was in the first-half. He told me he was sore at half-time but we tried to keep him on.
“Typically, when we decided it was time to take him off, he decided to run around like a spring chicken, chases down and we nearly score off it.
“He will be sore, he will be off his feet now, but hopefully he can join in training next week. Every time he does it though, it gets harder and harder for him to get over it. Maybe he needs some time on the sidelines.”
Meanwhile Connor Lemonheigh-Evans was assessed by doctors after suffering a nasty bang on the head in the 2-2 draw. Colliding with Grimsby sub Tyrell Warren, the Welshman, a substitute himself, came off looking very dazed, sporting a bump on his forehead.
After seeing goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray miss several weeks with a concussion earlier this season, Warne said they will be very cautious with Lemonheigh-Evans’ injury too.
“It was a bad bump,” Warne said. “He knew where he was initially but then he wasn’t really sure. We used it as a concussion sub, and he had a massive red mark on his head.
“There was no malice in the challenge, both players just ran into each other, just as two Grimsby players did in the first-half too.
“Hopefully he’ll be alright, we’ll monitor him.”