“He can be big for us,”: Manning praises trio after Dons’ win over Walsall

Liam Manning praised scorers Henry Lawrence and Nathan Holland as the pair netted their first goals for MK Dons in the 2-0 win over Walsall on Tuesday night.

Neither have been regulars in his side this season but looked impressive in the Papa John’s Trophy victory which saw Dons progress into the next round of the competition as Southern Group C winners.

Manning was also pleased with the performance of Welsh international Matt Smith, who was playing out-of-position, for Dons at least, at right wing-back at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.

Henry Lawrence:

Manning said: “He had one in the first half too, which was a terrific strike. We challenged these lads to step up and give me a headache and make difficult decisions. Henry showed some good moments tonight, and the goal was a terrific finish.

Matt Smith:

“He's played there for Wales,” said Manning. “What Matt has got is great intensity and we want him to match that with the quality we know he has in there. We want him to consistently dewvelop that. He did well in that spot, and he was another positive.”

Nathan Holland:

Manning said: “Nathan hasn't had the start to life here that either he or I wanted but that's where we're at. He can be big for us. We want him to deliver like he has in training, like he was on Saturday too, and coming on tonight, and he's starting to show why we signed him. The challenge is now to consistently deliver it. It was a terrific run to win the free-kick and finish too.”