"Thank God he's on our team": Wearne on Dons summer signing

Stephen Wearne admitted he was in awe watching MK Dons new signing Liam Kelly in action during the 3-1 win over Wealdstone.

Kelly, a summer capture from Crawley Town earlier this month, was making his first Dons appearance back on English soil on Saturday as Mike Williamson named a full-strength side at Grosvenor Vale. Goals from Wearne and Joe Tomlinson gave Dons an early advantage, before the hosts pulled a goal back in the second-half, but Matt Dennis’ hot scoring streak continued with his fifth goal in four games nine minutes from the end.

Goal-scorer Wearne said the mood in the camp with two weeks to go before the season kicks off against Bradford City is good with the introduction of the new signings, but one in particular stood out.

“Kells - thank god I'm playing on the same team as him this year and I don't have to play against him,” he said. “He's a joy to watch! It's a joy to be a part of. When you've got the individual quality we've got, and we can put it together, we'll have a good season.

“The lads we've brought in have been different class. You could see the concepts and patterns we're trying to play, and there were times in the first-half when I was just stood watching.”

Despite the huge turnover of players, with ten signings brought in this summer, Wearne said the squad have integrated the new faces quickly, especially after the training camp in Germany, and felt the work they had been putting in over pre-season was there to see in the win at Grosvenor Vale.

He continued: “There's good togetherness, good camaraderie and it's fun to be a part of. It helps on the pitch when you've got good friendships out there, and good connections. It all comes together and leads to a successful season I hope.

“It was really good. It was about learning, getting the concepts right and staying fit, so I think it was a successful day against a good team, I think we played some good stuff and we came through it unscathed.”