Warne is eager for season to settle down after Newport County test
The MK Dons boss spoke ahead of Saturday’s game against Newport County
MK Dons have clocked up nearly 1,000 miles on the road already this season with 252 more on the agenda this weekend when they face Newport County.
The journey to Wales will take them over 1,100 miles travelled in the opening three weeks of the season, having taken in trips to Barrow, Bristol and Crawley in the hectic start to the footballing calendar.
With back-to-back midweek away games as well, it is little wonder head coach Paul Warne is eager to see the back of this Saturday’s trip to Rodney Parade, with three weeks before their next road trip to Chesterfield in the middle of September.
“I’m actually not looking forward to the game, but it being over,” he said speaking ahead of the game against the Exiles. “Then we can have a couple of days where we can reset. The window is nearly shut, there will be a bit of chaos and then we can relax into September and things feel a bit more normal.
“It’s been Saturday-Tuesday with Barrow, Bristol, Crawley and Newport. It will be nice to get this game done with a performance that gives us a chance to win and we can see where we’re at.”
Before settling into more of the routine though is the matter of taking on Newport County. David Hughes’ side have picked up four points from 12 thus far, but head into the game off the back of three straight defeats.
Having played back-to-back teams who had not picked up a single point in the form of Cheltenham Town and Crawley Town, Warne said his side must be wary of the Exiles’ big threats in their front line.
He said: “They’ve got a threat up top, some real pace and experience. Playing against two up top sometimes can cause problems so we have to organise that. But you just never know. We can show the lads what we think might happen, back them and show them how good they are, and remind them that at their best, they will be a problem.
“They have an experienced coach too so you know they will be really organised. We’ll need to start well and be on the front foot. We don’t set up to draw, but to win.”