With the replacement of Ince by Karl Robinson in the summer of 2010,and the arrival at MK of former England Assistant Manager John Gorman, Carrington continued to improve under John's guidance. Chances were limited however at the beginning of the season due to the signing of Dietmar Hamann. But the departure of Alex Rae to Notts County at the end of Oct 2010 saw Hamann move more into coaching, and Carrington featured in more games, helping Dons to their first away win of the season at Brentford in mid–November. Hamann quoted at the time 'one of the reason's for me taking a step back from playing was Mark Carrington's form, it was harsh leaving him out, so my move to coaching has given him a chance to play on a more regular basis and he has been excellent'. With a handful of first team appearances, Carrington scored his first Milton Keynes Dons' goal of the season, in a 4–1 loss against Sheffield Wednesday on 20 November 2010. However, with the return of Gleeson from injury, Carrington again found his chances limited and decided to leave MK Dons in the January transfer window, but not before scoring for them after coming on in the 81st minute against Dagenham & Redbridge to earn MK Dons a 1–0 win and three vital points towards their push for promotion. In a bid to play more regularly Carrington opted for a chance to play in the Scottish Premier League until the end of the season, where he put in some good performances against Celtic and Rangers.