Michael Dobson's relationship with MK Dons manager Martin Allen could best be described as professional.

Walsall's captain had a personality clash with Allen while at Brentford and a parting of the ways was inevitable after Dobson spent last season on loan at Reading.

So with Allen's new employers set to visit the Bescot Stadium on Saturday in another crucial League Two fixture, one could be forgiven for thinking Dobson wants to ram Allen's word down his throat.

However, the 25-year-old is as tranquil off the field as he is combative on it and he fully intends to let any retribution be delivered on the football pitch.

"He obviously had an opinion that I wasn't his first choice for some reason or another," said Dobson. "That's fair enough. I put my head down and tried my hardest but, no matter what I did, I wasn't going to play, so it was time to move on.

"It makes my decision easier to move on when I wasn't offered a new contract and it has given me a new lease of life."

Allen will be conspicuous by his absence on Saturday, however, as he was sent from his dugout during the Dons' home defeat against Hereford United last weekend.