Eli Campbell made a strong first impression on his MK Dons debut
On a night when players have been known to wilt, Eli Campbell did not shy away making his MK Dons debut against rivals AFC Wimbledon.
The 22-year-old made strong start to life in Paul Warne’s side on Thursday night. Handed his first appearance since his deadline day move from Everton, the centre-back looked at home alongside Curtis Nelson and Charlie Goode, linking up well with wing-back Cohen Bramall on his outside.
Not intimidated or overawed by the occasion as the fierce rivals played out a tense 0-0 draw at Plough Lane, Campbell looked assured from the off as he helped keep a clean sheet on the road for the visiting side, and drew praise his head coach and fellow team-mates after the game.
“It’s the eagerness of youth isn’t it!” said Warne afterwards. “If you’re calm in these sorts of games, it shows what he can do for us going forwards. I thought he did really well.
“He trained really hard on Monday, and then he trained Tuesday and Wednesday because he didn’t play on Saturday. I made the decision to play him tonight and we were worried he might blow up but he didn’t.
“He can cover Cohen at left wing-back as well. He’s a really good addition. He’s a good size, he can play, he can throw, he can head, he’s got a lot of positives. The lads congratulated him in the dressing room, so it’s always good a good sign if the seniors think you’ve done well.”
Wing-back Bramall, who relied on Campbell to cover him when he pushed forwards, also heaped praise on the defender.
“For Eli to come in for his first game, fair play to him,” he said. “He’s done really well coming in and playing 90 minutes.
“You’ll see him seriously grow in confidence, and he showed a lot of guts today. He was honest when he made mistakes, and when he was good, everyone was on to him so I’m really proud of him.”
Team-mates praise Everton loanee after impressive MK Dons debut