New signings impress MK Dons boss despite debut defeat

Jay Williams’ MK Dons debut was a sign of things to come according to boss Scott Lindsey.

The 24-year-old midfielder, along with fellow debutant Dan Crowley, was one of the best players on the field for the visitors against Walsall on Saturday, despite the 4-2 reverse to the Saddlers, in Lindsey’s opinion.

Not just his performance on the ball though, the head coach highlighted Williams’ influence on those around him from the opening minute as he barked orders and provided a strong physical presence in front of the back three.

Williams, who secured promotion from League Two last season with Crawley Town under Lindsey’s watch, fills a role Dons do not have in abundance the head coach admitted after signing him a couple of weeks ago, and after seeing his debut, believes the midfielder’s influence will rub off on those around him.

“We've not got as many voices as I'd like,” said Lindsey. “We've got a lot of individuals but we need to become a team. The way you do that is by having players out there who are willing to bark orders, willing to go the extra inch to win a game, and Jay has that.

“I think that will make us more connected as a team, and players will start to look up to him and think that's how we should play as a team and be as individuals.

“We brought Jay off sooner than we'd like because he had been booked, and we needed to be careful of that. He marshalled the midfield brilliantly, won tackles and headers, but also was very comfortable on the ball too.

“I don't think he gets labelled as a good footballer because of his aggressive nature, but he's a really good player. He made a lot of really good passes.”

Crowley too impressed Lindsey on his debut, with the head coach adding: “I think they were our best two players. Dan Crowley held possession really well, tried to make things happen and got kicked by every Walsall player too.”