Would Lindsey have been MK Dons' first choice under Winkelman?

Going after Scott Lindsey to replace Mike Williamson may not have been the obvious choice under MK Dons previous ownership, Liam Sweeting believes.

As sporting director at Stadium MK, Sweeting had his say in the decisions to hire the likes of Liam Manning, Mark Jackson and Williamson - all of them relative unknowns prior to their arrivals at MK1.

Former owner Pete Winkelman was a fan of giving managers their first taste of the first-team game, with the likes of Roberto Di Matteo, Karl Robinson and Russell Martin all handed their first jobs at the club.

Lindsey, having cut his teeth Swindon Town and Crawley Town, therefore may not have been the immediately obvious choice had Winkelman still been in charge when tasked with finding Williamson’s successor, admitted Sweeting, even though he was top of the director’s wish-list.

“He's a different type of leader and voice that we've had for a number of years,” said Sweeting. “I think the time was right for that though, the group needed it.

“Interestingly, we were doing it with a new owner, and someone going through that change for the first time. And they were asking some really good questions about the profile. I've been in that situation a few times with the previous chairman, and was clear on the profile of head coach.

“But thankfully, once we met Scott, it was clear he ticked a lot of my boxes, but also for Fahad (Al Ghanim, owner) and Neil (Hart, CEO).”

Sweeting too was the beneficiary of Winkelman’s faith, taking his first directorial job under the former chairman’s watch. But working in Al Ghanim’s new regime, Sweeting said there are still similarities between the two.

“It is slightly different,” he admitted. “The previous chairman was local, and very involved! Fahad is just as passionate and keen to know what's going on but obviously there's the distance element too.

“But he calls me about all kinds of things, not just about our games but other games he's watched, because he's so in tune with the level, and that's really good.”

Sweeting’s appointment as sporting director came when the club chose to restructure behind the scenes, following the departure of CEO Andy Cullen in the summer of 2021.

But with Al Ghanim based in Kuwait, the appointment of Hart as CEO after leaving Bolton Wanderers earlier this season, has been another forward step for the club for Sweeting.

He added: “It's been really positive working with Neil. The stuff he has added has been really impactful, both on and off the pitch. He's a different person to speak to, and sees things through a different lens.

“He's come from Bolton, a really competitive club in League One, and his absolute focus has been to improve the fan experience and growing the attendance. He's added really significantly.”