Tactical changes gave Dons a different feel in Cheltenham win

Minor tweak to MK Dons’ style of play allowed them to look significantly more of a threat against Cheltenham Town than they did against Port Vale a week earlier.

Speaking on the sidelines at Vale Park, interim head coach Ben Gladwin said his hands were relatively tied when it came to stepping away from Dons’ possession-based approach given how the squad is made-up. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans too admitted the first thought on the ball is to keep it rather than to play forwards and cause the opposition problems.

At Cheltenham, Gladwin opted to play two up front, with Callum Hendry returning from suspension to partner Danilo Orsi, and balls into the channels for the front men to chase appeared the order of the day. They still played out from the back, kept possession well - 60-40 in their favour - and crucially, created enough chances to comfortably win the game.

“There was a big emphasis in the last couple of days on intent,” said Gladwin afterwards. “If an opposition wants to press us aggessively, we have to take the option they have given us , which is the grass in behind, the space at the top of the pitch. It's about recognising that.

“If we want to build and play the way we want to, then we definitely do that, but if a team wants to press us and leaves gaps, we have to use that, we can't continue to pass the ball.

“The intent from the first minute was exceptional, we've been banging that drum all week.”

Jack Sanders, who came into the side and netted the winner in the first-half, said Dons have needed to be more savvy and street-wise of late, and that the design on the Cheltenham game can help them in the run-in.

“We changed it up a bit,” he said. “Previously, we've gone away from doing the dark arts of the game, putting the ball down the channels, but we mixed it up today and Cheltenham struggled to deal with that.

“All of us are capable of handling the ball well, we're all good players, but in certain games you have to feel it and understand what can be done to hurt the opposition.

“We knew if we played our football, we could do it, but we could also put the balls down the sides and hurt them. We're a bit frustrated because we've not scored more, and on another day, that would be the case.”