Games coming thick and fast for Dons over the next month

Adding more games to MK Dons’ already busy fixture list may be a gift and a curse for Liam Manning’s side.

Dons potentially have nine games in 28 days should they beat Stevenage in the FA Cup first round replay to book themselves a trip to Yeovil in the second round, and play on Tuesday night every week until early December.

With the run of games leaving little time for training, or indeed rest and recovery before the next one, Manning said now more than ever he will need to use the full depth of his squad but he hopes the players’ own drive to do well will help during this run.

“Players love playing games, to progress,” he said. “The guys have done a good job of showing what they’re learning with every game so far, and we’ll continue to evolve and progress.

“It’s great to have time on the grass training, but the test is when you step on the pitch to play, and we’ve now got a heavy period coming up to show that. You miss certain things with training, but I also think you learn a huge amount and I hope we can build some momentum in the games.

“We’ll have to use the entire squad – I think it’s nine games in 28 days so we’ll need people to be ready to step in and take their opportunity when they get it.”

The potential second round game, which will be played at Huish Park on Saturday December 4, will also be televised at a later kick-off time of 5.30pm, but Manning said the busy schedule and the small matter of the replay against Alex Revell’s side, means he has not given the FA Cup draw much of his time.

He said: “We have so many games before then, so all my time, energy and concentration is going into the game before then, making sure we do well tomorrow (against Cambridge). The draw is what it is, I’m not looking that far ahead. We’ve got a replay to look to first as well.”