Illness forced Dons into making starting change at the eleventh hour

A sickness bug forced MK Dons full-back Cameron Norman to withdraw from Saturday’s defeat to Harrogate Town at the 11th hour.

Illness had swept through the camp during the week, head coach Graham Alexander confirmed, and had forced several players out of training in the lead up to the game at Stadium MK.

Norman, who has made 10 appearances since signing from Newport County in the summer, was included on the team-sheets at 2pm to be a starter against the Sulphurites, but did not appear from the tunnel for the start of the game, replaced instead by Brooklyn Ilunga for his first career league start.

Speaking about the late swap, Alexander confirmed the same illness which had taken victims in the week had hit Norman prior to kick-off.

“He reported an illness late on,” the head coach said. “There has been a bit of a bug in the squad, and a few members have missed training this week.

“He reported something about two hours before the game. We told him to go out for the warm-up and see how he felt, but he wasn't well enough and we made the change as early as we could.

“He wasn't in a great way after that, I saw him in the changing room afterwards and he was looking a little tender.”