Wembley carrot must be the incentive for MK Dons to continue in Bristol Street Motors Trophy

Though the club’s triumph in this competition in 2007/08 seems a distant memory, the national stadium holds a far more recent spot in the minds of management staff Mike Williamson, Ian Watson and Chris Bell. The trio led Gateshead to the final of the FA Trophy last season – playing on the same day as Newport Pagnell Town in the FA Vase final – but would leave London with defeat to Halifax on their minds.

Taking on the young Seagulls in the last 32 of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy this evening, first team coach Bell admitted although their last trip to Wembley ended in disappointment for his former club, going is a rare opportunity, but one the Dons players should all be eager to achieve.

“We had the opportunity to go to Wembley, it was a great day but it ended in disappointment,” he said. “It's a competition where we can showcase ourselves on a big stage. People value those days, and we've experienced them ourselves (with Gateshead in the FA Trophy) as has the club (Trophy final in 2008).

“Those days and occasions are why you want to get involved in football, and for the young players, it's something they will carry for the rest of their lives.”

In the group fixtures in the competition, all of which Dons won prior to tonight’s first knock-out stage game, saw a mix of youth and first-team experience take to the field for the club, and tonight is set to be no different, especially given the impressive showing from the nine academy products who played in last month’s 3-2 win over Northampton Town.

Bell continued: “The academy have done incredibly to help the club to this stage and the number of players who have made their debuts shows how valuable it is.There is so much talent on show from the academy, and the Northampton game was exceptional.

“They have to be good enough to warrant a start, and they have been. There will be more academy players involved in the next game, and it's another opportunity for them to show how talented they are.”