The next crop of young players is ready to step up for MK Dons

The performance from MK Dons’ youngsters last season has been a great success, according to the club’s academy manager, and should not be judged solely on those in-house.

A vast number of young players from the youth teams spent valuable time getting first-team experience in the lower leagues during the campaign, including goalkeeper Seb Stacey and midfielders Keon Lewis-Burgess and Rian Silver, all of whom returned to Stadium MK this summer with varying levels of success to their names.

With Dons’ primary focus last season to get promoted from League Two, there was precious little opportunity for youngsters to break into Paul Warne’s first-team in competitions other than the EFL Trophy. However, teenager Jack Burke was handed his FA Cup debut in the third round against Oxford United, and looks like the latest off the production line to make an impact for the club.

Ben Smith, academy manager, said last season’s performances from the youngsters, be it in house or out on loan, should be looked on favourably and considered a success in producing the next batch of footballers at Stadium MK.

“The season was productive,” he said. “We had eight debuts in the EFL Trophy, the FA Cup and we had two 16-year-olds make their debuts which we’re incredibly proud of. Jack Burke has done well, making his FA Cup debut for the seniors.

“The loans programme has gone from strength to strength, where we’ve had some real successes like Keon (Lewis-Burgess) who got promoted with Billaricay and getting Young Player of the Year there, Rian Silver had a play-off campaign with Biggleswade, Seb (Stacey) lost out in the play-offs of the National League South, so it has been a really positive year.

“And going younger, we’ve had a lad called up to England U15s which we’re really proud of too. There have been some great successes.”

Not only players impressing though, Dons saw several of their academy coaches stepping up to Premier League and national levels.

Smith added: “We’re a victim of our own success - we’ve seen a coach move to Arsenal, one to West Ham and one to the FA. We’ve been able to recruit really strongly off the back of our reputation, where this club is and where the academy is. We’re drawing people in to work here, which is a real positive.”

Like the first-team, Smith admitted the summer affords the academy little time to sit back and relax, with work well underway to establish how the system will look for the next 12 months.

He said: “It’s a time where we can reflect on what we’ve done over the last season, having a look back but also a time to start forecasting and planning for next year. All the staff get together, we analyse, we look at the good bits, bits we’d like to improve on and look at where we can improve.

“The off-season is great because we all get to work together, but also we get to have our own meetings to start actioning things for when people come back.”