The side finished 19th last season

New man Aaron Collins admitted he is not surprised at MK Dons’ struggles last season.

With four head coaches and a change in ownership, a battered and broken side limped to 19th in League Two, the lowest the club has ever finished.

And with the turmoil on and off the field, Collins said that turbulence will always have a negative impact on the players but it is time to put it behind them.

He said: “I went through a similar season with Bolton, and when you have different managers, new owners come in during the season, it’s not easy. You get different ethics, different cultures coming into the dressing room. It’s hard to deal with that, to bounce from one to another.

“It will be a fresh start for a lot of the lads. Coming into this season, this is where the work starts with the new gaffer.

“I knew the talent in there, I knew a lot of their names from playing against them or seeing them doing well. Whatever happened last season, we’ve got a new gaffer in, he’s been able to set his stall out, he’s pinpointed players he wants, and this is how we’ll play.”

While Collins said settling into the dressing room has been painless thus far, he admitted playing alongside, and indeed scoring for his new team-mates properly for the first time is the best way to get to know everyone better.

He said: “You don’t bed in as well with your team until you play together. I cannot fault it here, the lads have been quality since I got here. I came here and felt so comfortable, and so have the other new lads. We’ve all come in and all said it’s a great group to come into.

“I want to keep confident going into the new season. Fitness at the moment is the main part, of course we want to perform, but we have to make sure we start the season on a high.

“I want to get goals in my locker, get everyone confident. If we’re all firing on all cylinders, that’s all we want.”