Dons are 'too keen' to get forwards and must pass more

Ian Watson wants MK Dons to pass the ball even more than they already do as they continue to bed in the new style of play under head coach Mike Williamson.

The assistant believes there is still plenty for the squad to work on, despite the marked turnaround in their fortunes since arriving at the club in the middle of October. And after unleashing 65 shots in the last three games, bringing about six goals, Watson says understanding when and where to shoot will also be a topic of conversation as they look to become more potent in front of goal.

"We need to understand when we can keep the ball better," he said when asked where Dons can still improve. "We're still keen to force the ball forwards, but we can be calmer and work the opposition more. We move the ball to disorganise the opposition, not just to move the ball.

"We need to understand when the right time to kill is, and at the moment we're just a bit too keen to go forward. We need to up the passing, and with that, we'll get a lot more control of the game.

"Our attempts on goal and our box entries are right up there, but we feel like we can be cleaner with that, and when to shoot."

This Saturday, they take on a Gillingham side who, like Dons, are vying for a way out of League Two. Stephen Clemence's side head to Stadium MK having won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Priestfield earlier this season. Since then though, both teams are under new management, with Watson predicting a difficult afternoon in MK1.

He added: "Every game seems like another hard one, especially in this league. We've watched a lot of Gillingham, they are really effective at what they do, they can mix it up a bit, and they've got some really good players in the team so we understand how hard tomorrow will be and how hard we'll have to work. If we get that right, we believe we can win any game."