Maguire Highlights His Goal-Scoring Capabilities

MK Dons defender Laurence Maguire, who previously contributed to Crawley Town’s promotion from League Two last season, expressed his ambition to establish himself as a potent offensive asset in the opposition’s penalty area following his inaugural goal for the club. Maguire secured an 86th-minute winning goal, completing a comeback from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Cheltenham 3-2. This marked their fifth consecutive triumph in League Two. The 27-year-old, who is the brother of England international Harry Maguire, had previously come close to scoring in their last league fixture, striking the post during a 3-1 victory against Swindon. Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, he stated: “It’s something I’ve been disappointed with in terms of I haven’t got on the end of enough in the opposition box,” adding, “I pride myself on keeping clean sheets and defending but I also think I’ve got attributes to score goals in the opposition box and to get my first, now I can kick on and get a few more for the club.” This win elevated Scott Lindsey’s team to fifth position in the league standings, placing them just one point adrift of Crewe Alexandra and Doncaster, who occupy second and third places respectively. However, Maguire conceded that their display against Cheltenham did not meet the performance levels demonstrated in their match against Swindon. He commented: “We just needed to add more urgency to the game and make it a little bit more scrappy, sometimes you can’t always play the way you want to play and the character shown to turn it around was massive for us.” He further stated: “I honestly believe we’ve got a lot to work on (despite the run of wins). That’s what League Two brings, there are no easy games, they put it on us and we just didn’t turn up in the first 20, 30 minutes. “We want to play the MK way in terms of dominating the ball, passing teams off the park, but sometimes you can’t always do that in football, you’ve got to adapt.” Following the match, Maguire honored a pre-game commitment by presenting his shirt to a young supporter. He elaborated: “There’s a little boy in the Cowshed End and he’s been holding up a banner all season asking for my shirt. I’ve always said I’d give it to him but just never got round to it.” He added, “I was buzzing to get the winner and it was a great moment to give it to him and make him a happy lad. That’s what we want to do, connect with the fans and hopefully get the club back to where we belong.” MK Dons are scheduled to play Fleetwood Town away on Saturday, preceding a demanding December schedule that includes four of their six fixtures at home.