Milton Keynes Dons continue to chase League One survival and recent results finally have the team building some momentum.
The 2022-23 season has not gone as anyone expected for MK Dons, who finished last season agonisingly close to automatic promotion, with survival now the team's focus as they enter the final nine games of the year.
A change of coaching staff, tweaks to the squad in January, and a shift to a new-look formation on the pitch were all made in hopes of turning the team's fortunes around and giving them a chance of escaping the drop.
Five points earned in February did little to boost morale and give much hope, but now, with the Dons playing those teams around them also seeking to avoid the drop, six points in March has the team looking up rather than down.
Back-to-back 1-0 victories, against Cambridge United and Accrington Stanley, have the Dons sitting a point outside of the relegation zone with a crucial home fixture against Morecambe coming up next Saturday (25th March).
The return of Dean Lewington to the heart of the defence has clearly had a noticeable impact, and having his leadership, experience and evergreen quality in the line-up will do much to keep the team organised and playing positively against teams they desperately needed results against.
Three victories in what Mark Jackson described as a 'mini league' for the club would be a huge return and give them a genuine boost in the standings, creating more of a gap between them and others around them, pushing them further up the table.
Other fixtures against the likes of Burton Albion and Fleetwood Town, who remain in the bottom half of the table, will give the team a chance to build on these positive results and work to ensure the team has a genuine chance at taking control of its own fate, especially as difficult tests against top-half teams such as Derby Country and Wycombe Wanderers also await.
There is still so much work that needs to be done to secure League One football at Stadium MK next season, and any slip-up can be costly to Jackson's team as they desperately fight to avoid dropping to the fourth tier for the third time in club history.
But with these results under their belts, the mood in the squad surely improving and the belief that this fight can be won, there's every chance the Dons can start to build genuine momentum to put themselves in a stronger position to fend off the teams sitting below them.
Belief has been in short supply at Stadium MK this season, but it's something that is threatening to grow as the team finally puts together some positive results after some seriously dark days just a few months removed from arguably some of the highest highs experienced at the club.
Will it be enough, though? Here's hoping.
