Warne feeling calm ahead of MK Dons promotion run-in

Promotion-chasing MK Dons boss Paul Warne says he finds the final weeks of seasons less stressful than earlier in the campaign.

Warne's side, who beat leaders Bromley last weekend, will go up to League One if they win two of their three remaining games barring an unlikely goal difference turnaround by fourth-placed Notts County.

He is hoping for a fifth promotion as a manager, having achieved it three times with Rotherham United and once with Derby County.

"I'm actually calmer this time of year than I am in October, probably because I know I'm closer to my summer vacation," Warne told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"There's less to worry about, less to stress about. There isn't a transfer window, the team nearly picks itself and it's a pretty smooth-running machine.

"In October, all I can see are these tsunamis coming and thinking 'that's going to happen', 'I've got a problem with him', 'we've got back-to-back away games', 'they're tough games', 'we've got suspensions coming up'.

"Now you just think the lads have prepared really well, I back them no end and weirdly I can sort of sit back and enjoy it."

The victory over Bromley was their first in five games and they have trips to Crewe and Fleetwood coming up, with their final home fixture of the season against Tranmere sandwiched in the middle.

Warne admitted that as a coach, it was impossible to "completely turn off" from the role, although he did go to a theatre performance on Wednesday evening.

"I actually didn't think about football for two hours - well, I did at the interval because I wanted to know how Arsenal were getting on - but apart from that I was job free," he said.

Warne believes his team always "turn up" for the big games.

Of the Bromley game, he added: "Our best performances have been against the best teams, so I never had any fear.

"I think it was a bigger three points in my head just because of the run we'd been on - we'd lost a couple, drawn a couple - we just needed a three points however it came.

"I thought we showed an uglier, harder side to our game and that pleased me the most."