New boss Jackson has given Dons a new look, says Rovers’ assistant

Bristol Rovers assistant manager Andy Mangan said he predicts a different MK Dons will visit the Memorial Stadium on Saturday to the one which has lost to them twice already this season.

Dons were beaten 1-0 at Stadium MK in October in League One, and were thrashed 4-1 in the Papa John’s Trophy just days after Liam Manning was sacked in December.

Turning in better performances under Mark Jackson, Mangan believes the previous two games between the sides will bare little resemblence to what will unfold on Saturday at the Mem.

“A new manager will do that with a new way of working,” he said. “They had an unbelievable season last year and nearly got to the Championship. They lost a few players, some players got bought and now they have had to rebuild.

“The previous manager has felt that because he has lost his job and the new manager has come in and got a bounce out of them.

“It’s going to be a really tough game, different to the other two.”

Both sides have won twice in their last seven, but Rovers’ 5-1 humbling at the hands of Morecambe was the shock result in League One last Saturday.

Mangan though defended the performance at the Globe Arena, adding: “Our performance on Saturday wasn’t as bad as the performance makes out. We had 673 passes. Like I say, we’ve got to be more disciplined in certain areas and take our chances.

“I think the result will be different, but our fans already know and they are well versed in the way we work and the football we try to play. They have been magnificent with us and they owe us a performance and hopefully we get one on Saturday.”