Team-talks need to change to address Dons' sluggish second-halves

Half-time team-talks will take on a different feel if Scott Lindsey cannot see more of a response from his players in second-halves.

Saturday’s 4-2 defeat to Walsall saw the Saddlers score after just 26 seconds to make it 2-1 at the Poundland Bescot Stadium, before they went on to run riot against a lacklustre Dons.

It is not an isolated incident though. Dons have, on plenty of occasions, struggled to carry their first-half control with them into the second-half of games. In recent memory, games against Chesterfield, Gillingham and Crewe Alexandra have looked comfortable going in at half-time, only for Dons to be overrun and second-best for much of the run-in.

And against Walsall, Lindsey blasted his side’s lack of perceived effort at the change when the game was balanced finely t 1-1, having initially led through Scott Hogan’s 14th minute goal.

“We need to do something different at half-time,” Lindsey admitted. “I watched Walsall run out the tunnel for the second-half, I saw my team walk out.

“We have to be more engaged and ready to go again. I will keep driving standards on to get to where we need to get to.

“We've got to learn and improve. We have to understand what we are. We're a team with really talented individuals, but we haven't come together as a team yet, and we have to do that really quickly.”