Humble Manning dedicates his award nomination to staff at MK Dons

Liam Manning said he felt extremely honoured following his first League One Manager of the Month award nomination, but admitted it left him feeling uneasy.

Dons went unbeaten in September, winning three and drawing two of their five matches in the month as they climbed to third place in League One. Scott Twine too was included in the nominations for Player of the Month as Dons did the double.

Manning, who took over at Stadium MK in August, helped lead his side to nine games undefeated as Dons began the season in excellent shape. The head coach though said his nomination made him feel uneasy because it comes as a result of a collective effort from everyone at the club.

“It's an extreme honour to be put forward for it,” he said. “I feel a little uneasy just because it's not about me, but about the staff and most importantly the players, in terms of what we see on a Saturday.

“Collectively what we did in September is a result of everyone's hard work, whether that's the laundry staff, ground staff, media staff, and then the players. They're the ones who make it happen.

“Ultimately, it's about everyone at the club.”

His nomination comes in only his second month managing in England, having moved from Belgium following the departure of Russell Martin to Swansea on the eve of the new season.

Manning was thrown straight into the action with three games in his first week, and Dons have gone from strength-to-strength since.

Even though they were beaten for only the second time in Manning’s tenure on Saturday to bottom club Doncaster Rovers, which saw Dons drop to sixth in the table, he said the start to his time at Stadium MK has been a bit of a whirlwind but believes his nomination for Manager of the Month will be something to look back on fondly.

He said: “When you're in the game, you just want to get into it. We didn't really have time to reflect, think, panic or worry. We walked into three games in a week when we first arrived so we didn't have time to think about it.

“It has been a really good start, I'm really pleased with it.

“It's a long season, we have to sustain a level, but sometimes stepping back and reflecting on the good work is not a bad thing either.”