Promotion is 'critical' for MK Dons this season

Promotion this season is not just important, but it’s critical for MK Dons, according to CEO Neil Hart.

With Paul Warne’s side nicely poised to mount a challenge for not only automatic promotion, but also the League Two title with 12 games to go, six points behind leaders Bromley.

After taking over the club in the summer of 2024, chairman Fahad Al Ghanim and his Kuwaiti ownership group set their sights on seeing the club rise through the leagues. But after the dismal campaign last year, have thrown resources at the team this year to see them get promoted.

With the message from the players focused firmly on a title shot, the message from the boardroom is that getting out of League Two is the aim by any means necessary.

“I’d be lying to say if it was anything other than critical,” said Hart. “If we don’t go up, life, football goes on, we’ll kick off another season in League Two but none of us want that. We want the club to go up, to be competitive and to go from there. That’s the objective.

“Fahad and the owners didn’t buy this club to stay in League Two, I didn’t join to stay in League Two, Paul Warne didn’t come here to be in League Two. We want to move forward as a collective.

“There is no reason why, with all the things we have put in place this season, where we are now and what we believe we can do before the end of the season we cannot do that.”

With the club in good form at the moment, since New Year’s Day, Hart said they are well placed to achieve their aims.

He continued: “We’re unbeaten in ten, we look strong, resilient, aggressive, organised and that serves us well. Paul Warne has come in and done a really good job. We’re third with everything to play for and we’re still on course to achieve our target.

“This is the fun part of the season, and we’ve got a big eight weeks ahead of us. Every game and every point is critical and we’ll have to do everything we can to get over the line.”