When MK Dons sacked head coach Scott Lindsey in March 2025 with the club struggling in the lower half of League Two, they decided to go for a replacement with a proven track record.
And in four-times promotion winner Paul Warne – three with Rotherham United and one with Derby County – they found exactly that.
Arriving at Stadium: MK in April last year, it was too late for Warne to make a huge impact on the field before the end of the campaign, but he had a clear idea of what was needed to put the club back on an upward path following relegation from League One in 2023.
The club brought in 10 new players last summer, with crucial experience provided by the likes of former Sheffield Wednesday forward Callum Paterson and ex-Hibernian defender Marvin Ekpiteta.
They began the campaign with 11 points in a five-game unbeaten run and although progress was interrupted by three losses in the next four matches, four league wins in a row restored equilibrium.
By the end of last year, they were fourth in the table and from a position of strength, further signings were made including former Derby centre-back Curtis Nelson, who played in Warne’s 2024 promotion-winning team.
A run of 14 matches without defeat consolidated the Dons in the top two and, with Paterson contributing 15 goals and skipper Alex Gilbey 12, they have been pushing hard on the heels of Bromley to try to bring Warne a first title as player or manager.
