McKenna: We Need to Stay Focused and Hungry and Back Up Last Week's Win Friday, 24th Feb 2023 11:52 Town travel to face the MK Dons at Stadium MK on Saturday looking to record consecutive League One wins for the first time since October, backed by a huge 6,748 away following. The Blues comfortably beat bottom side Forest Green Rovers 4-0 last weekend and will be aiming to back up that performance and result against the Dons, who are currently 22nd in the table. Town, who go into the game third, eight points behind the top two, have previously had similarly good individual results but without maintaining their momentum in their next league fixture with the 4-0 win against Morecambe last month having been followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw at Cambridge United. “I think that’s a fair thing to say,” McKenna conceded. “I don’t think it’s been too often the case but that game was one where I was unhappy with the intensity we played at — on the back of a big win. Of course, we had a big FA Cup match in the middle of the two so it’s not quite the same. “But in terms of league games, we didn’t manage to back it up that time so it is something we have spoken about. “You can’t guarantee anything about the result, every game is a challenge. We have to go there with humility. “You can guarantee certain aspects about your performance and that’s what we need to do — the intensity, the running, the fight that we put into the game has to be at the absolute maximum for us to have a chance to back up the win last week.  “You can only get the chance to win back-to-back by winning one and that is what we did last week. We need to try and win the next one. “That is an obvious focus for us and that’s what we need to try and do this week. But last week’s game doesn’t have any relevance on this weekend so we have our full focus on MK and the challenge that is coming up.” McKenna has fond memories of last year’s corresponding fixture when 6,850 Town fans made the trip to see the two play-off-chasing sides draw 0-0. This year, the Blues have been handed 102 fewer seats but are expected to outnumber the home supporters. “It was really startling and great to come out and see the away fans there. By the sounds of it, it is going to be something similar this year so that is something we can all look forward to and try and deliver a performance to make them happy.” The Blues boss admits he’s been taken aback by MK’s disappointing campaign following last season’s play-off semi-final defeat to Wycombe, despite key players such as 20-goal top scorer Scott Twine departing over the summer. “In honesty, it would have surprised everybody,” he reflected. “Of course, they lost some very good players and they had some loanees who were playing a very big part for them who have gone back to their parent clubs. And they had a very good manager in Liam Manning. “I am sure they would have expected this season to go differently but that’s football. It is a tough league and the margins are very fine. “This season has not gone how they would want but now Mark Jackson has come in and tried to put his stamp on it and lift them to a position in the table that is probably more befitting the quality they have at the club. “That is what they will be looking to do and we are looking to gather momentum and the points. It should be a really competitive game.”
McKenna says they’re a very different side under head coach Jackson, who took charge in December following ex-Town academy player and coach Manning’s sacking. “I think they have changed a lot,” the Blues boss said. “They have changed system along with different personnel, different priorities in terms of what they are working on and how they’re trying to score goals. “I think they are a very dangerous transition side at the moment with a big focus on defending zonal and narrow and looking to counter-attack. “They have brought in two quick, wide forwards in [Jonathan] Leko and [Sullay] Kaikai and they have got very good one-v-one, and having Mo Eisa back as well adds to that. “They have got a very potent front three and I think you could see that very clearly in the Sheffield Wednesday game last week [which ended 5-2 to the Owls]. “They had numerous transition opportunities in the first half, they were 2-1 up and had a massive opportunity on the strike of half-time to go 3-1 up. You could see from the first games that Mark has been there what they are trying to do. “They’ve had that transition threat through all the games and it was really apparent against Sheffield Wednesday last week. “That’s something we are going to have to manage well. We want to play our own game and be attacking, be a threat and commit bodies forward. “But we have to find a balance between knowing what their main strength is at the moment and it is pretty different and unique to what you face with most League One teams. We have to be ready for that.” Given the changes, the Blues having Manning’s former assistant first-team coach David Wright in the camp, the former full-back is now working with Town's U21s, hasn’t been too much of an advantage. “I think it’s a different team with a different set-up and focus at the moment,” he said. “There are certain individual things that you can speak to staff who have worked with players about. “We have played against MK a few times now and twice over the last 12 months. I have also watched a lot of their games and I feel we have a pretty good understanding of their individual players anyway and, like I said, it’s different now. We feel we have a good understanding of what their threats are.” Dons' boss Jackson has said that he feels his team has become more potent in recent weeks but at the same time they have conceded 10 goals in their last two matches, the loss at Hillsborough having been preceded by a 5-0 defeat at Bolton, and is looking to find a balance between the attacking and defensive aspects of his side. “We all have our things that we want to improve in our team and working on,” McKenna continued. “Of course, he had a bad week and the confidence won’t be at the highest because of that. But it is our job to analyse that and understand the issues. “They conceded from four corners against Bolton in what was, to be honest, a pretty even game but if you concede corners against Bolton, you are in trouble. “But since then, they have completely changed their set-up and organisation and went to a much more zonal set-up in the Sheffield Wednesday game and the set pieces were really good. I am sure they will see that as something that they have improved upon. “They had a big threat against Sheffield Wednesday and chances in the game. They scored two, could have had more and showed their threat. “But they also couldn’t withstand the pressure Sheffield Wednesday put on them, which in fairness they can do to a lot of teams at Hillsborough. “That’s something we need to do, although obviously it’s a different game playing at their stadium. “We know we are playing against a talented team, but a team who aren’t on a good winning run and aren’t going to be in the highest confidence. We need to put as much pressure on them as we can.” Earlier in the week, England women’s boss Sarina Wiegman slammed the Stadium MK pitch after her side’s 4-0 Arnold Clark Cup victory over South Korea there, describing it as “unacceptable” and “terrible”. However, McKenna doesn’t feel it’s much worse than many at this level. “We’ve watched the last home games and I wanted the England women’s game as well,” he said. “I don’t think it is too much different to what we play on and face in League One every week, to be honest. It depends what your comparison is. “Of course, England women have had some fantastic games at Wembley which is a completely different surface. “This is a League One stadium currently and that’s going to be a different surface to Wembley. So for us, I don’t think it will be too different to what we are used to and we will go there looking to play our game.” McKenna's team, whose last away victory was the 2-0 success at Exeter in mid-November, have two very winnable home games against two more sides in the bottom seven, Burton and Accrington, following after the trip to MK. But he says his side needs to concentrate on the matter in hand and maintain the mindset they showed in the win against Rovers. “I think we managed to stay pretty calm and focused going into the Forest Green game last week,” he said. “But when you get a win, there is a better feeling of confidence in the camp, although the atmosphere around the training ground has always been very focused. “It’s a little bit more positive this week. But we need to take it game-by-game. As much as we didn’t get too down by the draw at Bristol Rovers, we certainly can’t be getting ahead of ourselves just because we had a good result and performance last week. “We need to back it up, we need to show how hungry and committed we are and deliver a very good tactical performance. “It is against a very dangerous team. I know people will look at the last two results, but we are not naïve. “We have studied them enough to know they are a much more dangerous side than the last two results would suggest. “We need to stay as focused and hungry as we was going into the Forest Green game to give ourselves a chance to back up that result.” McKenna seems unlikely to make too many changes from the side which beat Forest Green with Christian Walton again in goal. Harry Clarke seems likely to continue on the right at the back alongside Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess. Leif Davis and Wes Burns look set to stay in the wide roles. Skipper Sam Morsy could well be partnered by Massimo Luongo in the centre of midfield with the Australian handed his second full league debut for the club having impressed from the bench last week. McKenna has previously said Cameron Humphreys has shown signs of tiredness with the 19-year-old having played more regularly than had been anticipated. Conor Chaplin, who took his goals tally to 17 for the season against Rovers last week, is likely to be partnered by Nathan Broadhead, who assisted Chaplin’s first and scored one himself a week ago, as the number 10s with George Hirst perhaps again getting the nod ahead of Freddie Ladapo for the out-and-out striker’s role. MK head coach Jackson knows his side’s form has to improve dramatically from their last two results if they’re to avoid dropping into League Two. “We’re fully aware of that, we know it’s going to be a big, big challenge,” he told the Dons’ official website. “We knew this period of games with the teams we’ve been playing would be challenging. “We always felt we would come out with something but that’s not been the case so far and we’ve been really, really disappointed with how the previous two games have gone. “But this will be another chance for us to start the process of getting points on the board and getting consistency as regards to results rather than performances. It’s all about getting those results now and we need to start soon.” Despite conceding those 10 goals in their last two games, Jackson feels his side have presented more of a danger going forward having twice taken the lead against the Owls, who hadn’t previously conceded at home in the league since October. “We’ve been more of a threat in attacking situations, players are starting now to get into attacking situations and work goalkeepers and score goals, which is really, really pleasing because that’s an element in our play which we wanted to improve on,” he said. “But we need to keep that strength and that dominance at the back where we limit teams to minimal opportunities. “That’s always tough when you’re going against the big teams in the league like Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and again with Ipswich. Really, really talented players on their team and a really unique way of playing and how they attack. “We need to make sure we maintain that attacking threat and attacking element but we have to reiterate how we need to be from a defensive point of view and have to have that defensive mentality. “It’s about combining all elements of the game with the ball and against the ball to benefit us as a team.” Wing-back Daniel Harvie picked up a knee injury against Sheffield Wednesday and has been monitored throughout the week. Midfielder Ethan Robson is back in contention after just over a month out, while veteran club captain Dean Lewington has returned to training but is not yet ready to return to match action. Central defender Anthony Stewart suffered a knock soon after signing on loan from Aberdeen on deadline day and is yet to feature. The Dons’ home form has been woeful in League One this season, having picked up just two wins at Stadium MK, drawing four and losing 10. MK, along with bottom side Forest Green, have scored the fewest goals on their own turf in the division, 11, while only the Nailsworth-based club and Bristol Rovers have conceded more goals than the 24 the Dons have shipped at home. Overall, they’ve conceded the fifth most goals and scored the fifth fewest in the division this season. They have won one in their last six, a 2-0 away win at Bristol Rovers early this month, with their most recent home victory a 1-0 success against Forest Green on Boxing Day. Their other home league win was a 2-1 defeat of Port Vale in August. The Blues and the Dons have only ever met on nine occasions, eight times in the league - four Town wins and four draws - and once in the Carling Cup at Stadium MK in 2007 when the game ended 3-3 before the home team won a penalty shoot-out 5-3, the Buckinghamshire side’s only victory over Town. In August, Town hit the top of League One for the first time since the Gamechanger 20 takeover after goals from Burns, Marcus Harness and Chaplin saw them to a comfortable 3-0 victory over the MK Dons at Portman Road. Burns gave the Blues the lead with his first goal of the season in the fifth minute, Harness made it 2-0 with his second in two league games on 28 and Chaplin hit the third, his first of the campaign, on the hour with the Blues dominant throughout and having chances to increase the margin of victory. In February last year, Town recorded their first draw of the McKenna era as the game away against MK Dons ended 0-0. Town, backed by that monster 6,850 away following, were on top for most of the game with Kayden Jackson and Burns coming close to breaking the deadlock in each half. Blues centre-half Richard Keogh was with the Dons between August 2020 and January 2021, making 20 starts and one sub appearance. Saturday’s referee is Rebecca Welch from Washington Tyne and Wear, who will become the first female official to take control of a competitive Town match. So far this season, she has shown 37 yellow cards and no red in 12 matches. Welch was the first woman to referee an EFL fixture from the start - Amy Fearn had previously taken over from an injured referee during a game having been the fourth official - when she took charge of Port Vale’s 2-0 away win at Harrogate in League Two in April 2021. The 39-year-old, who previously worked as an NHS administrator, has been refereeing for 14 years. Welch has refereed two Women’s FA Cup finals and is currently on UEFA’s elite list of female referees. She became the first woman to take charge of a men's FA Cup third round tie when she was appointed for the Chesterfield-West Brom tie in January and later the same month was the first female to take charge of a Championship match, Preston’s 2-1 win at Birmingham. Saturday’s match will be her eighth at League One level. Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Clarke, Donacien, Woolfenden, Keogh, Burgess, Edmundson, Burns, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Humphreys, Luongo, Edwards, Chaplin, Harness, Aluko, Broadhead, Ladapo, Hirst, Jackson.
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