Times when MK Dons were 'nearly perfect' for Warne's vision
The head coach spoke about his side’s performance in pre-season against Peterborough United
Boss Paul Warne feels MK Dons still need their finishing touches after they were beaten 2-1 by Peterborough United on Tuesday night in their penultimate pre-season game.
Late goals from Chris Conn-Clarke and Archie Collins, both coming in the final eight minutes at Stadium MK, cancelled out Aaron Collins’ fifth goal of the pre-season campaign which had been the difference for the majority of the game.
Having now lost three games in a row, having suffered defeats to Doncaster Rovers and Wealdstone on Saturday, Warne said he’s still not too fussed by the scorelines but performances, and feels his side is edging closer to a team he wants.
“There were times we were nearly perfect,” he said. “But that final pass was a bit behind or the shot was off target. We look a bit more polished tonight, and as we get closer, that’s what you want.
“For 70 minutes I was really pleased with how it went.
“I’m disappointed to lose but it’s not about that. We could lose all our pre-season games, it’s about what we do next Saturday. It was good to see, for large parts, the lads getting the press right, getting the boring stuff right. I think we had a real vibrancy to it, and I would’ve paid £20 for a ticket. As each week goes by, I think we look more like a team I want to manage.
“I like it to be quick, crosses in the box and people working really hard for the team.
“It was a good goal and Aaron is in good form in pre-season. I thought the front three had a good chemistry, and they’ve got a licence to roam. They did that pretty well.”
He added: “What’s good, and bad, about pre-season is that it exposes your strengths and your weaknesses. I’m pretty pleased with where we’re at, and hopefully by the time we get to that first game, we’ll be in really good nick.”