Warne urges MK Dons to seal promotion at home

MK Dons boss Paul Warne has urged his side to finish the job in front of their own supporters as they look to secure automatic promotion from League Two.

Warne's side needs a maximum of two points from their two remaining games to join Bromley in League One next season, but in reality, one point may be good enough because of their superior goal difference.

The former Rotherham and Derby manager is still hoping they can overtake Bromley, who have a two-point advantage, and win the first title of his career.

"I would like to go for the title. In all the promotions I've had, I think I've had about eight as a player or a manager; I've never had a title. That's what we set out to do, and we've given ourselves a good chance, haven't we?" he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"There's no easy games late on in the season, and this season shows it's no different.

"Hopefully we can get a win at home, and then we've done it - that would be pretty fitting if we could get promotion at home next week, but there's a long way to go between now and then."

They will face Tranmere Rovers at Stadium: MK on Saturday before travelling to Fleetwood Town on 2 May for their final game of the campaign.

"No-one wants to see a nil-nil, then [in the] last minute Tranmere get a corner; I don't think my little heart could take it. I'm hoping for a strong performance, and we'll go out and try and win it as we always do," he said.

The Dons finished 19th last season but have already won nine more games and collected 31 more points than they managed in the whole of that campaign.

They picked up three points with a 3-1 victory at Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, but Warne is not taking anything for granted with promotion now so close.

"The classic saying [is] 'it's the hope that kills you'. The lads are in a really good place; they've all been in football long enough to know it can go one way or another really quickly. We could have two unsuccessful performances and think, 'Where did it all go wrong?'

"Hopefully that isn't the case, but it takes a real mental fortitude to win most weeks, and credit to them for that."

He added: "It isn't easy playing for me; I'm shouting at them all the time, making them run more than they want to, but winning isn't easy.

"It shows how far we've come in 12 months, but we still need to finish the job off. If we can, everybody can look back on this season with fond memories."