Why MK Dons boss Liam Manning is looking forward to Sunderland fixture as he explains Connor Wickham's impact

Manning and his coaching staff were appointed on the eve of the fixture at Stadium MK, as goals from Ross Stewart and Elliot Embleton gave the Black Cats a 2-1 win.

Since then, The Dons have climbed above Sunderland to third in League One, ahead of this weekend’s meeting at the Stadium of Light.

“It feels like a long time ago, right?” said Manning when asked about the 2-1 defeat earlier this campaign.

“We came in on the Thursday night, we didn’t do anything on the Friday so the first thing we actually did was take the game - the group have been on quite a journey since then.

“That’s going to be the big thing for me on Saturday. Let's see how far we've come, even more so going away up there with the challenge again of stepping up against a big club, which is something that they’ve done numerous times this season.

“I can't wait but more so in terms of seeing the guys play again - that's the bit that excites me more than anything.

“The number of fans, the size of the club we’re going up against and our league positions all make it great but how the guys are doing, how they are performing, how hard they are working and the quality they are showing - that's what excites me.”

The Dons signed former Sunderland striker Connor Wickham last month and the forward has made five appearances off the bench.

“I go back a long way with Connor,” said Manning. “You sit and talk to him, just bits on the pitch, he can drop bits of advice. He’s spent the majority of his career around the Premier League.

“He can pass on huge things to some of the young guys we’ve got, and I think the challenge we have to put on some of the younger players is to pick Connor’s brains because he has got a wealth of knowledge having been around such a high level of the game.

“He brings us a lot from that and he’s been a good addition for us.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year .

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor