Jackson demands better discipline from his side after Leko ban

Mark Jackson said he made his thoughts clear to Jonathan Leko after the MK Dons winger was handed a three-match ban, ruling him out of crucial games in the relegation battle.

Leko, who signed from Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee in the January transfer window, has been a key man in Dons’ attacking third, but he was found guilty of violent conduct on Saturday morning after being seen kicking Lincoln City man Sean Roughan in stoppage time at Sincil Bank.

Ruled out of the game against Port Vale, Leko will also miss next week’s home game against Cambridge United, and then the trip to Accrington Stanley a week later.

Jackson said he could have no complaints about the FA’s decision after seeing the replays of the incident, and said Leko’s absence will hurt his side in the next couple of weeks.

“We've got to be better disciplined,” said the head coach. “I've spoken to Jonathan about that, I've made my thoughts clear on it.

“I didn't see it at the time, but looking at it, it's just stupid. We've got to be better with our discipline in those situations. No matter what an opponent is doing to you, you have to have self-control.

“He'll be a big miss, and it will hurt us. But we've got to have players who will step up, stand tall.”