The MK Dons head coach was full of praise for the Burton chief

Dons boss Paul Warne was full of praise for opposite number Gary Bowyer ahead of Burton Albion’s trip to Stadium MK on Saturday.

The former Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool and Bradford City man is approaching his two-year anniversary in charge at the Pirelli Stadium, having saved them from the drop in his first campaign before finishing 17th in League One last term.

In the lead up to their trip to Milton Keynes, the Brewers sit 15th, a point and three spots below Dons after picking up a win, two draws and two defeats in their last five.

In their ninth consecutive season in League One, Warne said Bowyer is having a positive impact on the Brewers.

“I really like Gary,” he said. “He’s had a good career in management, and you don’t survive in this game if you don’t know what you’re doing. He has always had a positive effect on teams.

“His teams always play with confidence, they can handle the ball. They’ve been playing with a box midfield, and they’re a young midfield too, they can all shift, can all handle it and they’ve started the season well.”

Dons go into the game off the back of five consecutive wins, but the head coach is not going into the game expecting an easy afternoon.

Warne said: “It will, as always, be a tough game. We’ll scrutinise everything they do, they’ll scrutinise everything we do, and then you’ll look at the team-sheets and see loads of changes! Once they cross the white line, you’ve given the players all the information, you’ll need a bit of luck.

“They’re only a point behind us and we feel like we’re in a good place. I’m not surprised to see when doing quite well, I think they’ll end midtable or above. They’re a really good side that know what they’re doing.

“You can play games where you don’t know what the opposition are going to do, but watching Burton, you can see what they’re trying to get to. If we underestimate it, we’ll get a good cracking, we know that. But we should go into it strong.”