D'Ath hopes his injury luck changes

The midfielder made his on-field return at Cambridge two weeks ago, before a second substitute appearance against Notts County on Tuesday night.

Frustratingly for D'Ath, a summer signing from Luton Town, it has not been one single injury that has kept him from the field for so long, but a string of problems one after another.

"Hopefully my luck will change," he said. "It seems to be the case in football, you get one injury and it has a domino effect. Hopefully I'm over that and can look forward.

"It has been a year – even at Luton I was injured for the most part. It has been a tough year but hopefully now I'm on the up. Like any footballer, I want to show what I'm capable of, but I haven't been able to do that. I hope now I'm on the right path again.

"Last year, I did my ankle, came back; did my medial, came back. I was fine but it was the end of the season, then I had a little niggle in pre-season, then did my ankle. It was really stop-start. I know I don't really get muscle injuries, touch-wood, but they have been contact injuries.

"Every week, every day in training, I'm working hard on my fitness and sharpness, and trying to force my way into the team."

D'Ath, 25, may be a stranger to MK Dons but is familiar with Paul Tisdale, having worked with him during a loan spell at Exeter City in 2013. D'Ath cited the manager as the main reason he made the switch to Stadium MK in the summer, and believes his new team is well placed to be in the promotion battle this season.

He said: "It is really good working with Tis – I really enjoyed working with him before, and he was the biggest reason I came here. I want to get playing under him again.

"(Promotion is) the aim but it's only October and there is a long way to go. It's good to be in form now, but the main time will be between Christmas onwards – that's when you need to be picking up the points. It's all positive to be where we are, but we have to keep concentrating and doing what we're doing."