Despite fears, the goals have not dried up

A month ago, MK Dons were threatened with a striker crisis when both Aaron Collins and Callum Paterson suffered ankle injuries. Five games later, they have celebrated nine different goal-scorers.

The goals too have come from all over the pitch, with two centre-backs, two wing-backs, three midfielders and two strikers wheeling off as Dons have driven themselves into second spot in League Two.

With top-scorer Paterson still sidelined for several more weeks yet, head coach Paul Warne said he was pleased to see others take up the mantle in his absence.

“They’ve been excellent,” he said after the 5-1 win over Gillingham on Tuesday. “It’s a team game so it doesn’t bother me who scores. If Craig (MacGillivray) wants to score for us, fine!

“It’s good to have different people scoring, and everyone should want to score - if you don’t, you shouldn’t play. We’ve put a lot of effort into set-pieces too, so we’re really pleased to have taken the opportunities.

“In a lot of games this season we’ve not come out as handsome as I would have liked, not that we’ve been out-played but I just don’t think we’ve taken enough of our chances.”

And after hitting the back of the net nine times in their last two games, with four goals against Harrogate and another five on the road against Gillingham, Dons moved three points clear in second place, within two points of leaders Bromley.

On the night, only one other play-off team - Salford City - were in action, giving the rest of the division a watching brief. And Warne felt his side’s five-goal performance will have sent a message to the rest of the league ten games remaining.

He said: “When you’re not playing and you look at who else is, you look and think ‘tell me they’re not winning’ so to score five is a decent message.

“I appreciate Gillingham aren’t in the most amazing form, but we can only try to beat the teams in front of us.”