Dons remain wary of out-of-form Crewe Alexandra

Mo Eisa missed a penalty against Crewe Alexandra in the reverse fixture in October. Dons went on to win the game 4-1 against the Railwayman, who head to Stadium MK tonight sitting bottom of League One

MK Dons cannot afford to take their eye off the ball against bottom side Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday, with a chance to go top of League One in the offing.

Crewe’s form has been disastrous lately, with 13 defeats in 14 games, and six in a row ahead of their trip to Stadium MK. Dons on the other hand are 13 without defeat, and could reach the summit with a win should Wigan Athletic drop points at home to Accrington Stanley.

Though they are cut five points adrift at the foot of the table, and 12 points from safety with six games remaining this season, Dons’ head coach Liam Manning said David Artell’s side are nowhere near as bad as their form and the table would suggest, and taking their threats lightly could come back to haunt them.

“The second you do it, not only is it disrespectful but it can come back to bite you in the backside,” he said.

“Positions aren’t always a reflection of the quality a team can have. They’ve got a group of honest, hardworking, competitive players who are playing to their utmost so if you take it lightly against a team like that it can hurt you.

“We’ll show them respect, control what we can an that has to be our message to the players.”

Earlier this season, Dons were 4-1 winners at the Alexandra Stadium, but there were times when Crewe looked on top, particularly after former Dons loanee Chris Long equalised to make it 1-1 early in the second half.

“Looking back to the game up there, I don't think the scoreline reflected the game itself.

“It was tough, they had spells where they dominated where we struggled to build against them, but then showed some moments of quality to score some really good goals.”