Promotion is all that matters for Ben Wiles, but lifting the trophy is the goal

Winning the League Two title at the end of the season is a top priority for Ben Wiles this season, but ultimately he does not care how MK Dons do it as long as they are playing in League One next August.

The midfielder has been an ever-present in Paul Warne’s side since signing in January from third-tier Huddersfield Town, chipping in with a couple of goals, including the fourth in the 4-1 win over Harrogate Town last Saturday.

Since his arrival, Dons have gone 11 games unbeaten and have pulled themselves back into the hunt for top spot and the squad’s ambition of going on to win the title for the first time since 2008 is an open secret.

With three automatic spots up for grabs, Wiles admitted winning the crown is the main objective, but whether it is second or third come May, he will be happy however the side goes up.

“It’s our main focus, it always has been even before I signed,” he said. “It is echoed throughout the changing room, we want to be champions. We want to go up as number one, but things don’t always go to plan, so we want promotion and kick on. We aren’t putting too much pressure on ourselves but we all have that same task at hand, it’s what we want to achieve.

“You can see teams that go on to achieve things in leagues you just haven’t predicted. Football is not straightforward. But we won’t care how we go up or in what position we are.

“We want to win the league, don’t get me wrong, but we want to put a marker down and show everyone how good we are, and we want to keep going.”

Not overly concerned about how they go up, Wiles is equally nonplussed by the manner in which Dons to it either, whether it is by winning pretty or grinding results out in a more ugly fashion.

“It can be the difference,” he continued. “Going away to those tough fixtures at tough grounds when the football doesn’t look the way you want it to, but you stick in and come away with points. You know you’ll never revisit that game, but the table reads three more points and you’re still right there.

“Everyone else looking in sees you’ve won again, not how you’ve played. You can look deeper, the fans might want to see more, but who doesn’t want to see their team winning, being successful, grinding out games that are difficult.

“Football is down to who scores the most goals, it’s about who wins the most games.

“For a club that has been through a difficult time that’s all people want to see. We want to bring success to this club, then rebuild again and start to be that horrible team in another league.”