Jackson is looking forward to Christmas period starting with Forest Green

Mark Jackson will take charge of his first game on Boxing Day when MK Dons face Forest Green Rovers at Stadium MK

Mark Jackson is ready for the ultimate Christmas present as he takes charge of his first senior game on Boxing Day when MK Dons take on Forest Green Rovers.

The 45-year-old, who until now has only taken charge of academy matches, will lead Dons out at Stadium MK today (Monday) after agreeing to take over at the helm on Friday.

And the former Leeds coach could guide his new side out of the relegation zone too with a win over Rovers, who are also struggling in the bottom four.

With a tough festive period coming up for Jackson, with trips to Peterborough and Plymouth incoming, today’s game offers his side the best opportunity of picking up points before the New Year. But the Christmas period can help sides turn around their fortunes, and Jackson hopes Dons can do just that.

He said: “It’s a great time of year for the supporters so we have to prepare correctly and give everything on the pitch to perform like we know we can and get the three points.

“This time of year is fantastic for football and football fans. I’ve always loved Boxing Day games, and I’m really looking forward to it, I cannot wait - that’s why I came down in the early hours and only got a few hours sleep!

“But I’m ready and I cannot wait for Monday and I hope we can build on the performance we had at Portsmouth.”

Having had barely any time to get his feet under the table at Stadium MK though, much of Dons’ preparation for Forest Green has been carried out by the analysts behind-the-scenes, and Jackson admitted he is going to be gleaning what he can from their work heading into the clash.

“I'm going to speak with the staff here who have been working on that game to establish what our plan is going to be,” he said. “They've been doing some fantastic work and I'll draw on that in the short term. I want to give people responsibility.

“There are people in there who know the league better than me so I'll be drawing on them and will be looking to get an upturn in results immediately.”