Smith deserved Macarthur move after playing big Dons role

Tommy Smith's character and temperament around MK Dons while out of the side earned him the right to move to Australian side Macarthur.

The 33-year-old had barely played under Mike Williamson, but continued to impress the head coach with his conduct in the changing room despite a lack of first-team opportunities.

With injuries to Jack Tucker and Cameron Norman recently too, Dons' defence was been light on numbers, and Smith's inclusion in matchday squads has afforded an option should another defender go down.

But with the Macarthur move too good for him to turn down, Smith approached Williamson, who agreed to do what was best for the New Zealand international and to allow him to depart.

"We had several conversations with him leading up to the move, and I can really compliment him in how well he conducts himself," said Williamson. "He's a genuine character, and someone we relished having him around the place.

"He had options but he wanted to stay, he said he was enjoying it but he wanted more game time. Then this opportunity came up, and he has international aspirations. He called me and told me he understood our current situation and that the answer could be no.

"We weighed it up and felt we had enough strength in depth. We wanted to do the best by him as well, how he conducted himself here with the group, I cannot speak highly enough of him.

"When you get opportunities that are so important for your family, life-changing ones, and that door is shut, it can be hard to come back from that. We all thought it was the right decision to allow him to make the move."