Night and day differences between MK Dons and the club a year ago
What a difference a year makes
The difference in moods between last season and this at MK Dons is night and day, Dan Crowley says.
This time last season, Dons, then led by Scott Lindsey, were in the doldrums, sat 17th in the table with 39 points to their name and looking over their shoulders at the looming drop zone. Fast-forward 12 months, the side are fourth with 19 more points and in the thick of the promotion fight.
Not only on the field are things better, but off them too. Midfielder Crowley, who joined the club as their downward spiral started in January last year, admitted the dressing room he walks into now is a completely different place compared to how he saw it when he first signed.
“The feeling is night and day to be honest compared to last season,” he said. “Everyone is so much more upbeat and happier coming into training.
“It is tough, fighting relegation which is what we were doing, even if we didn’t realise it. But we were losing every week, we weren’t playing great and it made it harder to come into work every day.
“Playing in those games was tough. Coming in in January from a successful team who were doing well to come here, I had hopes of being really successful. When it didn’t work out, it could have been tough, but tough times make you stronger. They make seasons like this even sweeter.”
He continued: “To be at the other end of the spectrum is great. You have to learn from the past but you’ve also got to move on from it. If you dwell on it, you can get stuck there. You have to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and go again.”
With the mood high again, the 28-year-old was able to give the squad a reason to smile last month when he bagged his first goal for the club in the 5-1 win over Shrewsbury, one he hopes was the first of many.
He added: “It was lovely to get my first goal, but it wasn’t a massive weight on my mind. I knew it would come. It took a bit longer than I wanted. Sometimes you have those things in football, but I’m pleased it came and now I want to keep going.”