Dons boss praises the unsung heroes helping his players prepare over Christmas period

Mike Williamson praised the families of his MK Dons players for helping keep them grounded over the Christmas period.

After Saturday's 3-1 win over Morecambe at the Mazuma Stadium, Williamson allowed the players Christmas Day off ahead of Boxing Day's home clash with Colchester United.

The head coach admitted it would be a hectic turnaround between the games, but said the players' families should be the ones taking the credit over a busy period over the holidays.

"We told them to be present with their family - that's the most important thing," he said. "The families are the unsung heroes, looking after things behind-the-scenes when the boys are playing. It's a thankless task sometimes being the partner of a footballer, and it's important the boys are present on Christmas Day.

"But they have to have half and eye on doing the right things to turn up on Boxing Day to be in the best shape they can be to win the game. I want the players to be responsible, I want them to lead it, I don't want them to have to be dictated to."

While Dons go into the game seven games unbeaten in League Two, 22nd placed Colchester ended a five-match losing run on Friday night with a 2-1 win over Salford City, looking to get their season back on track after dropping down the table in recent weeks.

Williamson continued: "They're off the back of a good result, and they like to play good football. I think it will be a really good test for us, and I'm looking forward to it.

"We're grounded, and everything we've done in the last handful of games is irrelevant. Momentum can change with the kick of a ball. We've got a lot of tough tests coming, but if we can hit the levels we know we can, we'll be confident of winning each game we play. But that's a big ask.

"Whether we're playing teams at the bottom or the top of the league, there's always a lot of external noise surrounding the players because they carry a lot of expectation on their shoulders. For us, whoever our opponents are, from minute one to minute 90, we're focussed."