Defence will cause Tisdale headaches ahead of Stevenage visit

With Jordan Moore-Taylor, Baily Cargill, George Williams and Mathieu Baudry already sidelined, Walsh’s latest setback is likely to leave five recognised defenders out of the side for Saturday’s game against Stevenage at Stadium MK.

During Tuesday’s defeat to Morecambe, Jordan Houghton had to play in the heart of the defence again, but manager Paul Tisdale hopes he will soon have round pegs for round holes again.

Tisdale said: “I’d like to see one or two of the defenders fit soon, but what can you do. They’re getting back as quickly as they can, but the players we will pick I trust them to play to our strengths.

“We don’t have the full extend of his injury yet. We won’t have him, Baily or Mathieu Baudry, Jordan Moore-Taylor, or George Williams – I don’t think they’ll be back this Saturday.”

There is little to tell between Dons and near-by Stevenage down the years, with four wins apiece and three draws in 11 previous meetings.

And while Dino Maamria’s side have lost every other game since the start of February, and won on Tuesday, Tisdale said nothing can be read into their recent form.

He added: "We'll look at their strengths and weaknesses but we'll look at our own game. We can't assume they will win or lose based on a pattern! We're at home, there's an advantage there, but we have to do our best.

“We have had good form generally. We've had a really good month, apart from the difficult evening at Morecambe. We've still got a lot to play for.

"Stevenage will provide us with a certain test, and we need to be ready for it. We'll prepare for it with three points in mind."