Williamson hints at resting Dons duo after busy festive period so far

Ethan Robson and Dean Lewington could be rested against Crawley Town after playing a lot of minutes over the Christmas period.

Both are not long returned from injury, with a third game in six days potentially pushing them beyond what head coach Mike Williamson would like, with a view to the longer term.

Taking on a tough Crawley side, who have won their last two on the road away from the Broadfield Stadium, Williamson said he believes all of his players will be keen to put their hands up to play again over the Christmas period, but said he may have to take precautions when it comes to squad rotation.

"We've put a few shifts in now, I'm sure there will be some weary legs in there, but I'm sure I'll get no feedback other than 'I feel great!' which is what we want to hear," he said.

"We won't take an unnecessary risks. A player like Ethan has had a lot of minutes after his injury, and we'll be cautious still with Skip, but they all want to play. That's the mentality of these guys, and I wouldn't expect anything less."

On the threat of Crawley, Williamson added: "They play really good football, with a similar formation and style (to ours). They had a good 2-0 win on Boxing Day, at a difficult place like Gillingham. It will be tough. We'll dust ourselves off and see how everyone is.

"Ultimately, we know it's about energy, turning up and having that same arousal as on Boxing Day."