“We’re in a stronger position”: Sweeting on Dons after the transfer window

Sporting Director Liam Sweeting hopes MK Dons are in a better position after the January transfer window than they were heading into it, but admitted now is the time to deliver.

Dons limped into the new year mired in the drop zone, and though they are out of it now, remain teetering on the brink of the bottom four, kept out by goal-difference.

Sweeting, the man charged with the recruitment process at Stadium MK, oversaw five arrivals at the club last month - Jonathan Leko, Max Dean, Paris Maghoma, Sullay Kaikai and deadline day capture Anthony Stewart - with four outgoings - Daniel Oyegoke, Matt Dennis, Louie Barry and Dan Kemp - which he believes are a step in the right direction to ensure the club remains in League One this season.

With 18 games remaining to secure their safety, Sweeting said the squad is stronger than it was a month earlier with the incomings and outgoings, but admitted it is all talk if the team does not deliver on the pitch.

“I think it’s clear to say we’re in a stronger position than when we started the month,” said Sweeting. “Everybody could see what we needed and the brief was absolutely clear. What helped is that Mark, since coming in, has been extremely clear with his set-up of the team and with the way that he want to go about things.

“Ultimately, these are just words and the focus now, for us, is on every single game between now and the end of the season.

“Every game is going to be an opportunity for us to strive towards us our target which, for this year, is obviously retaining our League One status.

“I have full belief in the people we have, so now we have to strive to get as many points as we can to stay in the league and make good of all this work.

“I don’t want this to be a year that we’re just going to write off. We want it to be a year that we can come away stronger from, so that we can attack next year in a better position. We now need to go and deliver.”