No-one expected Dons to be in the automatic fight, admits O’Hora

Warren O’Hora shares a laugh with coach David Wright. The defender said Dons are feeling no more pressure to win on Saturday against Plymouth than they normally do, despite an automatic promotion spot being the potential prize.

Offered third spot at the very least at the start of the season, MK Dons defender Warren O’Hora would have been delighted.

The 23-year-old Irishman could end his second season at the club with promotion should results fall their way on Saturday in the League One finale. A spot in the play-offs though and a home tie in the second leg have been assured should they miss out on a top-two spot.

Before a ball was even kicked in League One though, Dons’ season was potentially thrown into turmoil when Russell Martin departed for Swansea City and took with him his backroom staff, leaving Dons wishing they were at barebones.

However, the appointment of Liam Manning has changed the course of the campaign and the club remain in contention to reach the Championship for only the second time in their history.

“Coming in at the start of the season, we'd have definitely taken it,” said O’Hora. “You look at the big clubs with their big names and they are expected to be where we are, no-one expected us to be here.

“If we finish in the top 10, no-one really bats an eyelid, but we are where we are becaue of the way we have been playing, the squad and the fundamentals we’ve had this season.

“The culture has been really good since the new staff have come in too. We’ve been ticking on every game, and it’s credit to the management for all that.”

Knowing they need to win and for other results to go their way if they are to go up automatically, Dons head into the final game of the season as outsiders for a top-two finish being Wigan and Rotherham and therefore under relatively little pressure when they play Plymouth on Saturday.

O’Hora said that has been the case all season long, with the calibre of clubs in League One often causing people to overlook Dons in the fight for the top spots.

He said though the pressure they feel is all self-created and comes from the expectation they have in themselves to get out of League One.

He said: “At the start, there wasn't really any pressure on us from the outside, all the pressure has been put on ourselves internally and it has really helped us.

“We're third in the table and we could have been even higher. But we are where we are, we're at the final game of the season and we could still go up which is what we really want to do. It's an enjoyable part of the season and we'd much rather be at this end than the other.”