Two months of change give Dons a reason to look up again

Clicking in football is a metaphor often used, and often blamed for slow starts, poor performances and runs of form. But it looks, for the moment anyway, like MK Dons have in fact 'clicked' on the pitch.

Let's not get carried away - they are unbeaten in three matches, sit 16th in League One and are a couple of injuries away from disaster. But against Bristol Rovers, Swindon and Burnley, Dons have looked good. Very good indeed.

It is a promise we were all given by Russell Martin when he took over - he'd turn the club around. For five long years, Dons were striving for something bigger, but had too many little issues on and off the field which needed knocking down and rebuilding in full. It was never going to be a quick fix - though keeping Dons up last season was a plastering over the cracks - but after teething issues early in the season, everyone looks to be on the same page at long last.

The style of play remains bold but there are none of the nervous moments there once was. Seeing a Dons keeper with the ball at his feet isn't remotely worrying any more, so used to seeing it are we all. Defensively too, Dons look more assured despite the seeming merry-go-round of partners to play alongside Dean Lewington and Richard Keogh recently. Wing-backs too understand their roles more, with goals from Regan Poole and Daniel Harvie at Swindon adding to Dons' attacking prowess.

The midfield, when it isn't wracked with injury, is bustling with options, with David Kasumu and Lasse Sorensen emerging as key men in the last couple of months. Scott Fraser might be one of the best signings Dons have made in their history with goals, assists and standout performances behind the front line, and Cameron Jerome's regular goal-scoring prowess shows why he played in the top flight for so much of his career.

But let's not get carried away.

The last two months have seen a lot of things change. The 14-month long away curse is over at long last, conceding in the first 15 minutes of games has been almost erradicated - doing so just twice in the last 10 - and stringing together strong performances has been a far more regular occurrance. They can play games on the front foot, and the aforementioned defensive stability means they can cope with their backs to the wall, just as they almost managed against Burnley on Saturday. For a team at the wrong end of League One, there are a lot of positive signs.

BUT LET'S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY.

If Dons can continue their upward spiral into the next two months, can continue to look impressive even if they are beaten, which will happen from time-to-time, can recruit well in January and can act out Martin's vision, then maybe, just maybe, it might be an opportunity to get carried away.