Callum Hendry spoke after MK Dons’ defeat to Stevenage on Saturday

Defeat in the final pre-season game on Saturday should act as a warning for MK Dons ahead of the new campaign kicking off next week.

Paul Warne spoke out about his side’s performance against Stevenage, claiming it exposed a lot of weaknesses with seven days to go before hosting Oldham Athletic in the League Two curtain raiser.

Striker Callum Hendry, who scored Dons’ only goal in the 2-1 defeat, felt after Dons’ defeat by the same scoreline to Peterborough United on Tuesday night, the side were in good shape but the reverse at the Lamex Stadium was a wake-up call.

“It was a bit of a reality check for the boys after the first-half,” he said. “I know they’re a League One side, but that was a League Two game. They’re battling for second balls, the pitch was getting dry and that was a bit of reality after the Peterborough game.

“The boys played really well against Peterborough so it was a reality check. But everyone came through unscathed, and we’re all looking forward to getting the real stuff going.

“Even though it’s pre-season, coming to Stevenage is a tough place to play. They’ve a way of playing, and they’re very good at it.

“It’s important to have these games, it’s what pre-season is for so you can make mistakes and not have them cost you.

“I think we’ve prepared well, we went through a lot of preparation for this game and after Tuesday I thought we were in a good spot, but we need to use this and move onto next week.”