Goal-scorer Waller delighted to thrive on his full MK Dons debut

Charlie Waller may have had more than 1,000 games worth of experience surrounding him on Tuesday night, but he looked plenty seasoned in MK Dons' 3-2 win over Northampton Town.

Playing an important role in the centre of a back-three - a position foreign to the 18-year-old until training on Monday - Waller was head-and-shoulders the best player in a Dons shirt in the final Bristol Street Motors Trophy game, grabbing the equaliser early in the second-half to cancel out Manny Monthe's first-half header.

Settled between Anthony Stewart and Dean Lewington, Waller did not look out of place alongside the experienced duo, eager to take on the ball and compete with the regular Northampton front line.

Having made a substitute appearance in the competition earlier this year in the win over Chelsea U21s, Waller's first start could not have gone much better.

He said: "It's a very proud moment, and I can only say thank you to the gaffer and the staff for putting their faith in me, and trusting me to go out there in a difficult role, where I was put under a lot of pressure, but I'm happy I thrived in it.

"I felt composed out there. It's a relatively new position for me, I've never played in the middle of a three before, but in training yesterday we thought we would give it a go. If it didn't work, we could always change, but it has ended up working. It's a role I enjoy, I get a lot of the ball, I can take the team forward.

"There must've been more than 1,000 appearances around me! They helped me throughout the game, as did Kells (Michael Kelly) behind me, there was a lot of communication and it's all I could ask for really."

The victory secured Dons a home tie in the next round of the competition, as well as wrapping up top spot in Group N with a 100 per cent record.

Waller continued: "We had two messages from the manager: enjoy it, give it your best but to go out there and win it. It's nice that we've finished top of the group and we get a home game in the next round.

"Their two strikers were very experienced and posed me quite a tough test to be fair. It's great experience and exposure for me."