Kemp is putting a lot of pressure on himself to perform at MK Dons

Dan Kemp might be putting too much pressure on himself to reproduce the same numbers which saw him thrive out on loan now he is back at MK Dons, according to team-mate Daniel Harvie.

The 25-year-old scored 16 goals while on loan at Swindon Town in the first-half of the season, but has only found the back of the net once since his return to Stadium MK in January. Barely having a chance of which to speak in the last three games for Mike Williamson's side though, Kemp heads back to the County Ground this weekend where he thrived in the first-half of the season.

Harvie believes the pressure Kemp is putting on himself to carry on with his stellar 2023 form, which also saw him score 10 goals for Hartlepool United in latter part of last season too, is a contributing factor to his shortage of goals since his return.

"I've told him not to put pressure on himself to come here and do what you've done elsewhere," said Harvie. "We know he can do it, so he needs to just play games and enjoy it.

"We play in a structure when our forwards, wing-backs and 10s all get into good positions several times per game. He's a really good player, a really smart player so there's only a matter of time before he does it for us.

"He went to Hartlepool last season, scored goals, put in good numbers. He came back in the summer fit and in really good condition. He went on loan again, produced numbers again. It's not that he's not got it, he's got it. We've seen it, we train with him every day.

"Sometimes it just needs a bit of confidence for attacking players. Maybe he gets a tap in from a couple of yards out, and the next minute we're talking about 10-15 goals. For him, he just has to get his head down and work hard, listen to what the staff want and produce."