Paterson ready for any kind of test ahead of Dons visit

PROMOTION RIVAL MK ON WAY TO MEADOW LANE

- By SAM ALLEN

MARTIN Paterson and his Notts County team are keeping their tunnel vision as they head into the busy festive period with some tough challenges ahead.

The Magpies take on fellow promotion challengers MK Dons at Meadow Lane tonight (7.45pm) before heading to Blundell Park to face another top-seven contender in Grimsby Town at the weekend.

Buoyed by their away win against Bristol Rovers with 10 men and refreshed following a weekend without any match action, Notts should be in a good place mentally and physically as a group, despite still dealing with a few knocks and winter flu.

Their next opponents are a genuine League Two title challenger under the experienced Paul Ware, who has plenty of EFL promotions to his name already.

But Magpies head coach Paterson does not view them differently from any other opponent.