Gladwin returns to MK Dons as first-team coach

Ben Gladwin is back at MK Dons, agreeing to join Scott Lindsey's backroom staff.

The former midfielder, who scored three goals in 39 appearances in 18 months at the club from January 2020, had been a part of Lindsey's playing squad at Crawley Town last season before hanging up his boots after an injury-torn career at just 32-years-old.

Gladwin had been placed in temporary charge of Crawley following Lindsey's departure last week, overseeing back-to-back 2-0 home defeats to Bolton Wanderers and Mansfield Town, before Rob Elliot was hired to take over at the Broadfield Stadium, but rejoins Lindsey's staff as first-team coach.

"I'm really pleased we've got him here," said the head coach. "He's a great character, and obviously knows the club from playing here. He was a great player for me at Swindon, and I brought him to Crawley but injuries have cut his career shot. He was always someone who focused on the details of the game, and I always felt he would make a good coach.

"He's got the bug. He looks at the details of the game closely, and we've worked really well together at my previous club. He gets my game plan, he understands it, and is a student of the game. He'll add a lot to value to the coaching team."

A player with huge talent during his playing days, Lindsey admitted the former Swindon and Blackburn Rovers man still has plenty of ability to showcase on the training ground.

He added: "If we ever want an extra player to join in in training, he can do that! He's a fantastic player, but at my last club we didn't see the best of him because he was struggling with injury. But when I had him at Swindon, wow, what a player. And you can still see glimpses of it when he joins in in training."