It may still be early in the season, but MK Dons defender Jordan Spence is already beginning to show signs of the real quality he could bring to the club.
The fans at Milton Keynes have always had mixed feelings about him. Some thought that his desire to go forward was a good thing that should be utilised, whereas others focused more on the concern they had at his often lacklustre defending. However if 3 games is anything to go by, it seems he is starting to change the minds of those that doubted him.
Spence joined the Dons initially in the 2013-14 season on loan from Premier League side West Ham. In that time he managed two goals, though goals aren’t a huge part of his game. In his first season, he was often called on by the fans for some seriously questionable defending, often allowing crosses to come in by turning his back, or letting the opposition too much space to be able to go past him. Despite his height, heading ability was also a factor that irked the supporters, as he was often caught too far under the ball, hence not clearing the danger and allowing more opposition chances.
However, going forward he was impressive. His driving runs down the right hand side from his unnatural position of right back (having usually played centre back at West Ham and previous loan spells) often lead to chances for the attacking players.
It may have been this attacking intent that won Karl Robinson over, because at the start of the promotion winning season of 2014/15, it was announced that Spence had signed a permanent deal at the club after his release from West Ham.
It took him a while to establish himself, but once Lee Hodson’s injury concerns were growing and George Baldock completed a loan move to Oxford United, the starting right back spot had Spence’s name on it, having made 42 appearances in all competitions throughout the season. And with the constant game time came some vast improvement.
The defending side of his game took a drastic improvement, which contributed to the Dons only conceding 44 goals in the league last year, compared to 65 the year before. Going forward he became more of a threat as well, with his pace often leaving defenders in his wake and deep crosses creating plenty of chances. He also possesses great strength which is apparent when he goes on these runs as he shrugs off those that try to stop him.
In the small part of the current season that has been played, it seems as though there could be an even bigger improvement this season. It only took him roughly 35 minutes to demonstrate what he can do on the opening day, as it was a driving run that lead to MK regaining the lead in their 4-1 win at Rotherham, when his cross was deflected in.
His Man Of The Match performance was also the highlight against Preston North End, as he lit up what was otherwise a relatively dull encounter. It was the same against Bolton, in a game where the Dons took their first home points as a Championship club. He became one of few Dons players to earn the Man Of The Match award for two games in a row, and few can argue given his performances. If he can keep this up, it could be a season to remember for MK’s number 12.
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