Gilbey set for Barnet return while 'no risks' to be taken with MacGillivray

Captain Alex Gilbey is in line to return to the MK Dons side against Barnet after missing out on the FA Cup win over Colchester United last Saturday.

The 30-year-old was left out of the squad against his former club with a groin issue but remained a vocal member on the sidelines at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Boss Paul Warne said the FA Cup tie offered a good opportunity to give the skipper a much-needed break after a relentless start to the season, and that his injury concerns had been eased, though he is yet to compete in a full training session with his team-mates.

Speaking about his skipper, Warne said he was keen to get him back on the pitch as quickly as possible.

“He’s full on when he’s not playing as well!” he joked. “It was like having a sheepdog at the training ground, I felt like he was behind me all the time! I love him, he’s infectious, but when he’s injured I can see why the physios want him out!

“He’s ok, he’s had an injection so we’ll see how he settles. He hasn’t done full training yet so we’ll see if he is an option for the weekend. It was the perfect time to rest him though, with it being a cup game.

“We’re not short of options in that area of the pitch. But he’s in a good place, and hopefully he can be included in our thoughts for the weekend.”

While Gilbey is in line to return on Saturday against Barnet, goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray will miss out as he continues to recover from the head injury he suffered against Bromley.

The shot-stopper is back in training again after spending a night in hospital after the game in south London, but will not be rushed back into the side until the Dons medical staff are fully satisfied.

Warne continued: “I’m not completely ruling him out, but it has to be right. If you speak to him, he’s absolutely chewing at the bit but you never know what is going to happen.

“You couldn’t have predicted what would happen to him, and you can’t guarantee it won’t happen again on Saturday. If it did, we’d never forgive ourselves so we won’t be taking any risks with him.”

At the opposite end of the field, strikers Aaron Collins and Scott Hogan are also nearing returns, while Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Laurence Maguire both took part in training this week.

With regards to Collins, who has only made three appearances this season, Warne said he is having to temper his own excitement when he sees the ex-Bolton man in training, saying: “Aaron Collins has about three weeks of protocol to go through. Every time I see him, I border on excitement and I get told to calm down. He was in our shooting drills the other day and it’s fair to say he wasn’t bad!

“I wouldn’t mind having his goal prowess back in the team again. But I think it’s about another few weeks before he can be involved.”