Liam Kelly has reflected on his start to life at MK Dons and admitted that “I haven’t been as good as I could have”.
The 28-year-old made the switch to Buckinghamshire this summer from League Two play-off winners Crawley Town and has already made seven appearances for the club. However, it has been far from ideal in terms of results, already seeing three different people take charge this season.
Mike Williamson led the club through the transfer window, recruiting some of the division’s standout talent such as Salford City‘s Callum Hendry, Accrington Stanley‘s Tommy Leigh and Kelly from The Red Devils. He was poached by Carlisle United, which led captain Dean Lewington to take interim charge.
The club found their man in Scott Lindsey, reuniting the midfielder with the man who masterminded the Sussex side’s unlikely promotion to League One via the playoffs, inflicting a record-breaking defeat on Milton Keynes in the process.
Speaking to the MK Citizen about his performances so far, Kelly said: “There was a reason I wanted to come here, and that’s the way we play.
“Dons have been known over the years to play good football. Now our performances have to be better, starting with me. I haven’t been as good as I could have been this season, and everyone in the dressing room will say the same.
“As a squad, we’re honest within ourselves and know our performances haven’t been good enough this season. And I think that’s part of the reason why Mike left. Whatever manager came in, our performances as a squad had to be better.”
Lindsey’s debut came against Bromley, but were held to a 1-1 draw in South London on Saturday. It was a result that left the side in 19th in League Two ahead of their match against Harrogate Town tomorrow night.
The game at Hayes Lane saw Lindsey stick with his trademark 3-4-2-1 formation, a style which Williamson also deployed in his tenure at Stadium MK. But Kelly believes the tactical changes that the former Swindon Town boss makes will bring the best out of his side.
He added: “On-the-ball under Mike I think we were very good, but the off-the-ball bits will probably improve now. I think we saw it under Lewie when he took the game. Off-the-ball we were more intense, and that’s what the gaffer wants. He’ll want more intensity, especially off-the-ball.
“It’s little tweaks you’ll see. There is a structure to it, but once we get into the final third, there will be more chaos in our play. If there is chaos in our play, it will mean chaos for the opposition too which is a good thing for us. But it’s chaos within a structure, and we know if we lose the ball we have to get into our positions.
“It will take a few weeks, there is a lot of information to take in with the way the gaffer plays, but I think you’ll see much more positive and free-flowing football.”
Writer’s View
The move to bring Scott Lindsey to MK Dons is the best-case scenario for Liam Kelly. He was a big part of Crawley Town’s successes last season, including scoring the second, decisive goal at Wembley against Crewe Alexandra. Reuniting with him will give him the added bonus of already knowing how the system works and will be able to become a mentor and guide for his teammates to adapt to his style of play.
It is the perfect time for the 52-year-old to come on board at the club. The new owners will want to make a good start to their time in control and on the pitch will have plenty of time to recover the ground lost on the top teams. They were tipped to be title favourites before the season began and with Scott Lindsey on board, MK Dons are certainly back in the game to achieve that goal.
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