Two key Dons ruled out of Rochdale clash

Darren Potter and another '˜key player' have been ruled out of action for a couple of weeks as MK Dons injury woes continued this week.
Darren PotterDarren Potter
Darren Potter

Vice-captain Potter limped off in the first half against Bradford after suffering a hip flexor problem, and manager Karl Robinson confirmed another member of his starting 11 is likely to miss ‘four or five games’ with an ankle injury.

“He won’t make the game on Saturday,” Robinson said, confirming Potter’s absence, adding: “And we’ve got another injury blow that could keep a key player out for four or five games. We’re not going to divulge what position that’s in.

“They’ll be two players who will be big losses and we’ll have to find a way, with this threadbare squad, to try and get a result.”

One positive for Robinson though is the return of Ben Reeves. The Northern Ireland international hasn’t been seen since the pre-season friendly against Everton last month but returned to training on Monday.

His progress will be assessed today (Thursday) before any decision is made on whether he’ll make the trip to Spotland.

Robinson added: “We think Ben Reeves may be back in the squad for Saturday. He will have to meet a protocol before he can compete. He’s joining in contact training today, so now it’s a case of getting him back into it. We’ll see how he comes through that before we can name him on the bench.”