Striker Max Dean appeared to be quite furious when he was substituted in MK Dons’ 4-4 draw with Sutton United on Saturday, but he was not the only one who was unhappy to be taken off, according to Mike Williamson.
The 20-year-old was disgruntled when his number was held up by the fourth official, halting his five-game scoring streak, but with the former Leeds player still recovering from an almost two-month absence, Dean’s minutes are still being managed ahead of the playoffs.
While Dean expressed dissatisfaction, head coach Williamson noted there were others who wanted to play, including Joe Tomlinson, who was making his first start in a month due to a toe injury.
“Everyone wants to play every minute they can,” Williamson explained. “They want to increase their numbers and aid the squad, which is a positive indicator.
“We’ve made it plain that the wider picture is important, and it’s up to us to keep the club at the forefront. He wants to play as many minutes as he can in order to get as many goals and assists as possible.
“He was not the only one. It was the same with Joe: he wanted 90 minutes, but we had a plan and had to adhere to it.”
Despite Dean’s inability to maintain his scoring streak, the Dons managed to score four goals, with four different scorers.
“Goals from all over the pitch will be extremely important,” Williamson added. “Tez and Ellis came on and were excellent, and I can’t really single out any players after the last few weeks; it’s been a true team effort.”
“We’ve rotated, we’ve changed the personnel, and everyone has given the best account of themselves and gives me a headache going into next week.”
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