Last season's 'written off' players fill MK Dons skipper with pride
Skipper Alex Gilbey spoke of his pride in the way his MK Dons team-mates have responded
While it was a second consecutive defeat for MK Dons at Notts County’s Meadow Lane on Tuesday night, the difference between performances 251 days apart was night and day.
Limping towards the end of the season back in April, Dons’ dismal 3-0 defeat to the Magpies was a miserable sign of the times for the rudderless side.
Though they conceded three again on Tuesday, a vastly improved performance saw them come within a couple of minutes of at least a point, having the better of the chances to win it before Tom Iorpenda’s 88th minute strike snatched it for the hosts.
Under new management, and with some big-name signings over the summer, there were still nine players from last season’s team on the field in Nottingham.
For captain Alex Gilbey, the fact that so many of the battle-scarred players have come out the other side of last season’s turmoils is reason to be proud beyond just the result at Meadow Lane.
“I saw some of the lads written off, going into their shells last season, going under because it was tough,” he said. “I struggled, and I can admit that. I really struggled last season. But to see some of the lads out there performing the way they are, it’s night and day from where we were last season.
“Obviously credit goes to the manager, but also to the players themselves. They got brought here for a reason, they’ve got unbelievable ability. It’s nice to see how they’ve bounced back.
“The gaffer gave us the opportunity and the chance in the summer to show how good we are. Last season was one of the darkest of my career. The things we went through as a club, not just the players but the fans as well.
“The gaffer has come in and looked around and offered everyone a clean slate. We all hear about the money, but he could have easily replaced all of us if that were true. The lads have shown their worth, and we need everyone, they’re all important players.”
Far from being disappointed on Tuesday, boss Warne was instead pleased with his side’s performance, saying on another day, they would have walked out comfortable victors.
Suffering only their second league defeat since mid-September, Gilbey echoed the head coach’s sentiments, saying the side are now starting to look more like the finished article.
He continued: “To lead a group like we’ve got in there is really, really special. I think we always knew it would take time to gel. We hoped and prayed we would hit the ground running with this amazing team from the first game, but it took longer than we thought.
“I think we will start purring into gear over the Christmas period, when games come thick and fast and we can really utilise what we’ve got. Going into the New Year, I think that’s when you’ll see us at our best.”