The returning forward is ready to hit the ground running in the final part of the season

Every game MK Dons have left will be treated like a cup final as they gear up for a fight for automatic promotion.

With 15 games remaining, which will become 14 when Dons take on Crawley Town at Stadium MK this evening (Tuesday), head coach Paul Warne has targeted ‘eight or nine’ wins to ensure their spot in the fight.

Frontman Rushian Hepburn-Murphy fresh back from his latest hamstring issue, said the squad must now approach every remaining game like a cup final.

“Every game will be a scrap, even against teams at the top of the table,” he said. “We’ve got to roll our sleeves up and go out to battle. The table is tight at the top. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, keep winning games, the rest will take care of itself.

“It’s nice to perform well, but these remaining games are cup finals now. We need to win them to get up the table and go for promotion.”

Hepburn-Murphy has seen his game-time stunted after consecutive hamstring problems, making only eight outings since mid-November. Back fit again though, he finds himself behind Callum Paterson and Aaron Collins who have been finding the net regularly of late. The competition for places at the sharp end of the pitch though is something which is driving on the 27-year-old.

He said: “I like it, it’s always good when all the strikers are in form. Competition brings the best out of people, and everyone is fighting for a position to get into the starting line-up. It’s a positive.

“I never like getting injured, but I’m three games back now, I’ve got a few minutes under my belt, I’m working my way back to full fitness.

“I had two hamstring injuries back-to-back so it took me out of my stride a bit. I was starting to score a few goals, then I had the injury which took me out for three or four weeks, hopefully I’m over it and back now.”