Paul Warne’s reaction to MK Dons’ Boxing Day win over Swindon Town

Boxing Day’s win over fellow promotion hopefuls Swindon Town is a great way to start four games over Christmas, according to MK Dons head coach Paul Warne.

Aaron Nemane’s first-half strike ensured a 1-0 win over the Robins at Stadium MK, kicking off festive football in style as Dons moved up to fourth, staying four points off the top of League Two while closing the gap to the automatic promotion spots in the process.

With another top-three rivals Notts County due at MK1 in a couple of days before New Years games against Colchester United and in-form Chesterfield to follow, Warne said the win over Swindon is an ideal way to start the period.

“These four games are some of the toughest we’ve got for a while,” he said. “If we come out of it with the number of points I have in my mind that I’d like, we’ll go into the New Year in great shape.

“This is a good start, I’m under no illusions but we have to get points off teams around us. If you can pick up wins against teams around you, it doesn’t half help you at the end of the season.”

While Nemane’s third goal of the season was ultimately the difference between the sides, both had opportunities to change the scoreboard, though it was the host who looked the more likely to add to their tally. Aaron Collins hit the post, Callum Paterson and Luke Offord fired into the side netting, while Alex Gilbey and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy should have done better when facing keeper Connor Ripley.

That lack of a second goal made things a little more uneasy for Warne, thought he felt happy on the whole leaving the ground afterwards.

He continued: “It was really positive. Boxing Day games can sometimes throw up some anomalies, it’s not 100 per cent certain what you’ll get, but generally I was really pleased with the energy we played with, but we just needed a second goal to make it more comfortable.

“Swindon had a good chance in the first-half and a good chance in the second-half but I don’t think they laid much of a glove on us, I don’t think Craig (MacGillivray) made loads of saves, and I think we just about edged it.

“It was two good sides who really went for it, and the more they went for it, the more we had the chance on the counter, but we squandered a few chances.

“The randomness in the last ten minutes probably made it more stressful than it was but when I watch it back, I’ll probably see it was more comfortable than I thought.”