NEIL Lennon could have been reading from the old “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster as he looked back at another blank night at MK Dons.

It is head-scratching to think that Wanderers have now failed to hit the back of the net in 559 minutes of competitive football, which now stands as all-time and most unwanted club record.

Two previous five-match barren league runs had occurred nearly a century apart. The first, as Queen Victoria still sat on the throne in early 1898, the second as Poll Tax Riots were all the rage in March 1990.

Wanderers’ streak straddles two seasons and, as such, feels like a bit of a cheat. But nevertheless the situation is becoming increasingly desperate, and that feeling of unease has definitely translated on to the pitch.

Goals had flowed nicely in pre-season. Liam Feeney and Gary Madine were in particularly good nick and though the chance-to-goal ratio wasn’t necessarily high, it was healthier than it is right now.

New arrival Madine is perhaps the most unlucky of all Wanderers strikers. His two headers against Derby County on the opening day deserved to hit the back of the net, yet his miss against Burton Albion in the Capital One Cup was as glaring as they come.

He remains the kind of robust centre-forward who seems destined to fare well with the Whites, but one who could really use a bit of good fortune.

His partner in crime has primarily been Zach Clough, the prodigious young talent whose immaculate build-up play has only been let down by some panicky finishing.

Anyone who has charted Clough’s progress through the ranks will know he can be as clinical as they come in front of goal, and it is surely only a matter of time before his duck is broken this season.

But for a desperate late challenge from Darren Potter on Tuesday night in Milton Keynes, ending a mazy run that took the 20-year-old past four defenders, chances are we would have had a goal to remember.

Even in the youngster, however, there seems signs of tension in the penalty box – hinted at last week by Lennon, who believes the striker is “fighting himself” to get off the mark.

Emile Heskey might be just the person to provide advice at a time like this.

The experienced former England man has endured plenty of goal-less spells down the years and come through the other side and Lennon may look to his trusted lieutenant to put an arm around some of the younger players for some guidance.

What is perhaps more worrying than a – theoretically – temporary drought for the strikers is the lack of goals coming from elsewhere on the pitch.

Mark Davies was the last Bolton player to score, in the 71st minute of the 2-2 draw at Brentford last season, but prior to that the lack of goals from outside the established front players really starts to dry up.

Prior to Tom Walker’s goal against Wigan on March 21, you have to go back to Saidy Janko or Filip Twardzik in February for a non-striker to chip in.

Clough, Craig Davies, Eidur Gudjohnsen and, obviously, Adam Le Fondre supplied goals from the front at the tail end of the campaign, with little coming from elsewhere.

The absence of Darren Pratley is undoubtedly a major part in that – the bustling midfielder having found some good form in front of goal prior to his injury last season.

The spotlight continues to shine on the strikers going into this weekend’s game against Nottingham Forest and Lennon has moved to increase the supply line further by bringing in Arsenal youngster Wellington Silva.

The Brazil-born attacker has primarily played as a winger during his long loan stints in Spain but can also feature through the middle, and may play in a similar role to Liam Feeney in recent weeks.

The lack of pace up front has become a concern to Lennon, and with Feeney off the boil since his pre-season burst, the smart money is on him being employed elsewhere on the pitch on Saturday.

While easy to say away from the heat of battle, it has been a lack of poise in front of goal that has most affected Wanderers, rather than a lack of chances in their four games so far this term.

And Lennon knows there is little he can do until the duck is broken and some of the pressure is released on his front men.

“You can go out there and practice finishing but ultimately it comes down to composure,” he said. “Our final pass doesn’t seem to be there and I don’t know why, maybe it’s psychological?

“We’ve been in on three or four occasions and had free headers, shots on goal, missing the final pass when we’re breaking.

“As a manager I can take a lot from how we’ve played, how it was night and day compared to Middlesbrough.

“No disrespect meant to MK Dons but I feel we were better all over the pitch apart from where it counts.”