Two wins from three is the target for Dons to snag automatic promotion
The MK Dons head coach has set his target for the final three games of the season
Paul Warne feels if MK Dons can win their next two games, promotion to League One should be secured.
Games against Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road and the final home game of the season against Tranmere Rovers stand between them and achieving that feat, but with three games remaining and three points separating Dons and Notts County in fourth spot, Warne believes six points should be enough to see them playing third tier football next season.
“I think if we win two, I think we’d be pretty close to it being enough because of our goal difference,” he said. Dons’ goal-difference is currently 14 goals better than Notts County’s.
“However, that can change in a heartbeat. I’d be amazed if two wins wasn’t enough. But we also might not need two wins.”
After a wobble recently though, which saw Dons go four games without a win despite remaining in second spot, prolonging their promotion celebrations, Warne believes everyone goes through similar shakes when the pressure mounts at the end of the season.
He said: “It’s difficult to win games in April and May. You’ve got teams playing for all sorts of different reasons, or playing with freedom. Every throw-in, corner, tackle, cross, everything is more intense. Beating Bromley 2-1 at home in September is just a win, but beating them with three games to go carries more weight.
“It’s more difficult to win at this stage of the season, but I still expect my side to win. You do have to be prepared for the odd banana skin, like we could go 2-0 down after 20 minutes on Saturday! We just have to stay calm, be consistent. We’re not far from where we want to be. But you’re that close you can almost taste it, but you’ve actually achieved nothing.
“We’ve always been steady with our messaging, we’re just a step closer. We’ve never been too high, never been too low. It sets us up for the weekend’s game really nicely.”