Former MK Dons boss credited by Lewie for helping turn things around this season

Former MK Dons boss Graham Alexander helped turn things around more than many give him credit for, according to skipper Dean Lewington.

Alexander was sacked after just 16 games in charge at Stadium MK. But despite sitting top of the league in August, and winning Manager of the Month, his side dropped down into the lower reaches of the League Two table, costing him his job in the middle of October.

Dons skipper Lewington, who was limited to just four appearances under Alexander after suffering a hamstring injury in pre-season, felt Alexander, now in charge at Bradford City, inherited a club in a bad way following their relegation from League One last time out and had to turn a lot of things around behind-the-scenes - things which replacement Mike Williamson is bearing the fruit of.

Lewington said: "Graham came in and was great, changed the dynamic of the place and bought a fresh take on things. Ultimately, he signed some very good players as well. And we started well, but for whatever reason it fell apart. That can happen in football, and it doesn't make him a bad manager, it just didn't work here.

"There was a bit of a hangover here, some boys wanted to leave, and you get a bit of detachment, and it has taken a bit of time to ride itself out. Hopefully now, with another manager, it feels like it's another fresh start and we seem to have come out of the other end of it."

Lewington admitted heading into the summer was as angry as he had been with MK Dons. After coming within touching distance of the Championship in 2022, the side were relegated a year later, something the skipper said hurt him a lot.

He said: "I'd say it was the lowest point of my MK career. In previous years, we've battled against relegation but not had the team to do it. But after that year before, what we had, selling the players but not reinvesting and building on what we had... going from third to relegation is unthinkable. I was disappointed, I was angry for a long part of the summer."