“We need a bit more help”: Gilbey calls for signings after Crawley loss

Skipper Alex Gilbey has called for reinforcements to help bolster the side after MK Dons were beaten by Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

Suffering their first defeat of the campaign, going down 2-1, Dons looked desperately short of options at the People’s Pension Stadium to get a hold on the game as the Red Devils dominated.

Gilbey, one of seven signings this summer, said the intense pre-season they went through, combined with the heavy run of fixtures at the start of the season has left Graham Alexander’s starting XI seeking extra bodies to lighten the load and offer new options.

“What we've been through in pre-season has been tough, and we need a little bit more help,” he said. “We're a fit group, and it's an adult changing room in there now. Some of the lads have been playing Saturday-Tuesday for years now, so it's not an excuse.

“It's really disappointing, it wasn't good enough tonight. We started really slow in the first 25 minutes but grew into the game after that. We tried to press higher up the pitch which worked, but we just didn't have enough quality.

“We've got a lot to learn, but we're a much better side when we're on the front foot.”

The call for a ‘target man’ type striker has been high on head coach Alexander’s priority list before the transfer window closes in a couple of weeks, and even though front man Mo Eisa has scored in each of the opening three League Two games, Gilbey was critical of the service Dons delivered to the forwards in Crawley.

He continued: “When you've got Mo and Jonathan up top, you've got chances to score and win a game. I feel like the quality into them wasn't good enough, much like the second-half on Saturday.

“We have to improve. We have to play like the end of the first-half and the final 20 minutes, we were a lot better an decided to have a game with them.”