Late drama on deadline day transforms MK Dons for the rest of the season

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The business conducted on transfer deadline day shows MK Dons are not giving up without a fight

When the clock struck 11pm on transfer deadline day, little did many people know it would be the quiet before the storm.

The final day of the window usually ends up being a manic push to get things done - the previous 33 days and 23 hours not enough time to get things sorted and the ducks in a row. Instead, it always comes down to the wire, and sometimes, 75 minutes over it.

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But that is the situation MK Dons found themselves in on Monday night, and indeed Tuesday morning.

Having been pretty busy prior to the final day, things would really ramp up as the deadline loomed. Tom Carroll and Matt Dennis departed after agreeing to cancel their contracts, while Joe Pritchard too would later get the same treatment.

Aston Villa wing-back Travis Patterson was already signed and sealed by this point, able to put his feet up and watch his new club get frantic as the clock edged towards 11pm. But after the chimes’ echo had cleared, the dust settled and there was still nothing to be seen.

Pritchard's exit was confirmed 30 minutes past the deadline, but the first domino would fall into place at around 11:45pm - the signing of keeper Connal Trueman from Millwall. This then meant loan stopper Tom McGill would return to Brighton & Hove Albion.

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Trueman, 28, had spent a spell in the first-half of the season at Crawley Town, though he did not cross paths with his new boss Scott Lindsey at the Broadfield Stadium. The following signing did though, and in some style.

Ellis Harrison's departure then came just after midnight, with his exit likely the last Dons fans will see of him with his deal up in the summer.

But his exit made room for Danilo Orsi, the Burton Albion man confirmed at 12.15am by the club's media team as an MK Dons player, on loan initially with an option to buy later down the line. Orsi played a key role in Crawley Town's promotion last season under Lindsey, scoring 25 goals en route to League One.

The window has been one of significant change for Dons. Lindsey has often spoken of his squad being too big, and he has cut a lot of squad players from the mix in the last 34 days. Those he has brought in are set to play key roles in the side from hereon too. Landmark signings like Jay Williams, Dan Crowley and striker Orsi are all signs of intent from the head coach, and indeed from Dons’ owners in Kuwait, that they are not going to let this season go to waste.

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Talk of promotion may still look a little pie-in-the-sky, even though there are still plenty of games remaining this season for them to turn it around, but if the deadline day business is anything to go by, they will not go out without a fight.

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