Remaining games will be vital preparation for next season's promotion push

Russell Martin will not let his side coast into the finish despite Dons' chances of a play-off spot diminishing on Easter Monday following defeat to Crewe Alexandra.

With the gap to the top six now eight points with seven games to play, and the majority of teams above them with games in hand, the Dons boss admitted the chances of getting promoted this season are looking remote, as are the chances of relegation, with 17 points between them and the drop zone.

But with a midtable finish on the cards, Martin says every remaining game now will be vital in preparing the team for a promotion push next campaign.

"The challenge is to finish as strongly as possible," he said. "It looks like we can't go down, it looks like we won't get promoted. But I do not want us to fall into a trap by thinking we can relax. Every game matters for next season. We have to get as many points as possible.

"The journey has been so tough to get to where we are now to let it drift away until the end of the season. It's a big mental challenge to finish as strongly as possible. We're playing to prepare ourselves for next season to make sure games like this don't happen. The change we've had is huge.

"If we're going to be serious about next season, we have to bounce back quickly, and we've got a chance on Saturday at a ground they should all be looking forward to playing at. The guys have shown what they're capable of, and when you do that, you set yourself up for other teams to want to beat you. Crewe did that and you saw how much they meant to them."