Lindsey is not afraid to wield the axe if Dons cannot start winning again

Dons boss Scott Lindsey said he would have no issues with going and finding players willing to put in the work-rate he demands after the disappointing second-half performance away at Walsall on Saturday.

The head coach felt his side let themselves down when Liam Gordon scored after just 26 second-half seconds - a goal which made it 2-1 to the league leaders - and were subsequently too quick to let their heads drop in the 4-2 defeat at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.

He handed debuts to new signings Dan Crowley and Jay Williams for the game, while new loanee Tommi O’Reilly was an unused substitute after arriving from Aston Villa on Thursday.

But after seeing four depart the club already this month, and acknowledging the squad need further lightening, Lindsey admitted he will have no issues cutting players who do not meet his expectations.

“If the players can't do that, no problem, we might have to look elsewhere,” he said. “I need this club to be at the top end of this table, not in the middle. That's not what we are. I have to make sure it happens.

“They ran all over us in the second-half because we weren't prepared to win, to press and to land on second balls, to tackle, and to do the fundamentals of the game. We can't do what we did in the second-half. You won't win anything if you're only prepared to play for 45 minutes, it's impossible.

“If we have to lose players along the way then so be it. I have to be ruthless with my work. If players are not prepared to put their body on the line, then we have a problem.”