Appleton Previews The Dons
Ahead of our first ever visit to MK Dons, and before over 3,000 yellow-clad supporters make their way to Stadium MK, we caught up with Head Coach Michael Appleton who shared his thoughts on everything Swindon and everything this Saturday.
“Winning any game perks up the morale during the week but to do it against your rivals and the way we went about it was excellent. It should leave the players feeling very good about themselves” he told Yellow Player HD. “The way we pressed we played the majority of the game in their half and it was a lot closer to what I expect from this team.
“Hopefully it’s a sign that some of the new players are starting to gel but it’s only one game. As long as we continue to do that over 5-6 games going forward then that will answer that question a lot more clearly but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
“It’s nice when an opposing manager says that we overpowered them but I don’t read into it that much because the emotions after a game are running high. The fact is that he was right in what he said but I don’t want that to affect the players. I want them to retain their focus, particularly now on Saturday’s game.
A sell-out home crowd one week, followed by a 4,000-strong away following the next means the United boss is full of praise for the United fans.
“It’s incredible. The fans and players can be proud of the fact that so many are travelling. I don’t think many Premier League clubs could claim that kind of support when they go away from home. The players and staff have all been made aware of it and it is a significant day. We are all looking forward to it and the more noise that they can make the better and I’ve no doubt they will.”
After a fiery contest last weekend Appleton is pleased his side have kept injuries to a minimum following the derby day victory.
“Rob Hall is coming on leaps and bounds and we expect Curtis Nelson to be back in training by the tail end of next week. Christian Ribeiro has just started his rehab so is on the road to recovery as well. We have a couple of lads who are suffering with an illness bug at the moment but they should be back for Saturday. They are all able to train but it’s about keeping them away from the other lads to minimise the spread.”
See the full interview plus the thoughts of Joe Rothwell in Yellow Player HD where we also catch up with Rob Hall for a progress report in the Preview Show.
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