Warne wants a finish to give MK Dons fans hope ahead of next season

With two games remaining, Paul Warne hopes MK Dons fans will see enough of what they want to give them belief of things to come next season.

After securing their mathematical safety on Easter Monday thanks to a 1-0 win at Crewe, Dons can finish no higher than 17th this season - their lowest ever. However, with a new man at the helm, Warne hopes he can instil a bit of optimism heading into the summer.

Taking on Grismby Town this Saturday in the final home game of an otherwise disappointing season, Warne hopes to finish with just the ninth league win at Stadium MK, but says an entertaining game at this stage will be worth as much as the points.

“It’s about a positive performance,” he said. “All we can do is put the lads we have in the building into their best light to go and win a game of football. We want to finish on a high, but we also want to give the fans an optimism that we can have a right go next year. If I didn’t think we could do that, I wouldn’t have come here.

“Even if we don’t finish on a win, I hope the fans think it will be exciting.”

While Dons have precious little riding on the game, Grimsby meanwhile are chasing a play-off spot. David Artell’s men sit seventh, harbouring ambitions of League One football next term, and know a win at Stadium MK will be a big step towards wrapping up a spot in the post-season.

On Saturday’s opponents, Warne said: “They are really good at pressing, they get the ball back quickly, however, like any other team, they are open to opportunities.

“If teams want to come here and take us on, great. I don’t want teams to come here and sit behind the ball, I’d rather watch an exciting football match, end-to-end, that’s what people pay to watch. I expect them to come here and try to win.

“Going off form and league position, they probably are favourites but I never see my teams being underdogs.”