New players are made to feel 'at ease' by welcoming MK Dons squad
The MK Dons squad has been a welcoming place for new faces, according to Jon Mellish
Despite feeling he was struggling on the field during his first couple of games, the 28-year-old said finding his place amongst the squad was made a lot easier by the welcoming nature of Paul Warne’s squad, who accepted him into the fold straight away.
Having played under Mike Williamson and Ian Watson during their time at Carlisle United, and played alongside Ethan Robson too, Mellish had plenty of people to ask about making the move to Milton Keynes, and he said they all spoke well of the club, while captain Alex Gilbey made sure he felt a part of things.
“I knew a few of the lads and staff from my previous club and they’ve all had good things to say,” said Mellish. “As soon as I came in, I was at ease straight away.
“Gilbs as the captain is unbelievable, he gels the team together. There are a lot of big characters who have played at a higher level who know how to handle things. Everyone is together and there is a great atmosphere.”
Perhaps not one of the loudest voices in the dressing room by his own admission, Mellish somewhat reluctantly led the celebrations after the thumping 4-0 away at Bristol Rovers a couple of weeks ago. A tradition brought forth by Russell Martin when he took over as manager, the ‘three cheers’ in front of the supporters has become something the players have taken on this season.
Following his excellent display at the Memorial Stadium, Mellish initially looked uneasy about leading the celebrations, but afterwards said he was glad he did it.
He admitted: “It’s not my type of thing! It’s not that I didn’t want to celebrate with the fans, but I stay out of the way of that sort of thing and let other people do it!
“It shows the sort of group we have, because they are so behind me, willing me on to do it, and it shows that they were happy for me and wanted me to do it after the game. In the end I didn’t mind it!”
It was Mellish’s first experience of playing in front of the travelling Dons supporters, and he is set to do the same this Saturday at Bromley. Dons fans have sold out their allocation of 400+ tickets at the CopperJax Community Stadium, and Mellish hopes to be sending them home happy with another win on the road.
He added: “I’ve only played one away game and the fans were top class there. To see it again on Saturday will be nice. To give them a few goals and a nice win will be a good day.”