New Dons boss wants to see improved performance against Accrington

New interim head coach Ben Gladwin will not be looking to reinvent the wheel when MK Dons take on Accrington Stanley tonight.

Taking charge of his first game after Sunday’s sacking of Scott Lindsey, the 32-year-old will lead the side from MK1 up in Lancashire, looking to pick up their first win in six games.

With only an hour on the training ground with his players prior to departing for the north on Monday, Gladwin said there was precious little time to get in any fundamental changes to their approach for the game. However, he hopes the squad will feel galvanised by their recent troubles and can take on Stanley with a fresh feel about them.

He said: “We will really focus on performance. We know results matter so much, but going after performances with the talent we have is the best way to approach it, and the measuring stick afterwards to know whether we've done well or not.

“We want everyone pulling in the same direction, feeling better and performances on the pitch to be at a level where everyone is proud. I know the boys will go and attack it tomorrow.”

The sides last met back in October, the second of Dons’ six-game winning run. Alex Gilbey opened the scoring inside the opening minute before Joe Tomlinson added a second around the hour mark, but Josh Woods pulled one back in a feisty encounter at Stadium MK.

Gladwin added: “When they played us earlier this season, they made it really difficult for us. They were aggressive and really connected as a team. The boys will be made aware of that. We've obviously changed since then, but it's a fresh start now.

“We've got a few ideas we can try and give to the players to freshen things up, so I'm looking forward to it.”