Lawrence has no problems dealing with AFC Wimbledon backlash following Dons move

Henry Lawrence knew he would get some backlash from his former fans when he made the move to MK Dons on loan this summer.

The 20-year-old made 32 outings for AFC Wimbledon last term, on loan from Premier League Chelsea, as they were relegated to League Two, but swapped Plough Lane for Stadium MK for this season.

Lawrence is the first player to dirctly cross the divide between the two rivals, and said he was well-aware of the level of backlash he would get from the AFC Wimbledon supporters for doing so when he made the move to Dons.

“I always knew I'd get some backlash but that's not a problem for me,” he said. “I'm here at MK Dons, I'm here to give my all and have a good season.

“​Last year, you could tell MK Dons played the best football in the league so as soon as I knew there was interest, it was a no-brainer to come here.”

The defender has made two starts for Dons thus far, rotating with Brentford loanee Daniel Oyegoke, but by his own admission, Lawrence has had teething issues fitting into the Dons system.

However, boss Liam Manning praised his performance in Tuesday night’s win over Port Vale saying it was his best yet in a Dons shirt, with the Chelsea loanee pleased to be finding his feet.

Lawrence said:​ “​I didn't get off to the best start, but the more you play the more confident I've got in myself and I know I will get better and I can give a lot more.

“It has been a tough start, we lost to three good teams in the league but we got that win the other day and we'll continue that momentum into tomorrow.

“Whenever you lose games, you want to bounce back quickly and get a win to get that confidence back in the team which it seems it has.

“We played well against Sheffield Wednesday so we knew it wasn't anything to do with the players really, we just had to get a win and we managed to do that against Port Vale.”