Assistant manager Ray Mathias hailed Danny Swailes' wonder strike as the defender's goal secured three points for MK Dons.

Swailes crashed home a brilliant volley just before the hour-mark to settle an entertaining game at stadiummk and keep the Dons top of League 2.

It came just seven minutes after Dons 'keeper Willy Gueret had saved his second penalty in six days to keep the scores level, denying former Don Paul Butler after Jordan Hadfield's foul on Chris Holroyd.

And Mathias said it was a much-needed contribution from Swailes, as his team mates squandered a host of chances.

He said: "It was a fantastic goal from Danny, the way he caught it and it flew into the back of the net - it was a great goal. One to win any game.

"At that point we needed it because we again created lots of chances and, like Barnet last week, we should have scored five or six.

"We've got to be really clinical now to better our goal difference because it could be worth a point at the end of the season.

"I think justice was done with the penalty, you have to give credit to Willy for the save but you'd give bad marks to the referee.

"It was a great save from Willy, just as it was on Monday night to put us in the final.

"We weren't moving the ball sharply enough in the first half, we played a little bit down there throats in the first half and were looking for Roy of the Rovers goals from 30 yards.

"But we kept going in the second half, kept creating chances and we got our reward for it.

It was a great result for Paul Ince's team, who were without several first team regulars due to injury and suspension, including skipper Keith Andrews and defender Dean Lewington.

Mathias said: "We have to give credit to the lads who came in today, they worked their socks off and dominated the game - you can't ask for anymore than that except maybe to take the chances we had and kill them off.

"I thought Carl Regan and John Miles both came in and did very well and Jordan Hadfield worked tirelessly in the middle of the park. It's not nice playing against him I can assure you."

The gap at the top remains a point after Peterborough's win over Bury, but defeats for other promotion chasers has strengthened the Dons position in the top three.

Mathias added: "I've said many times, the most important thing is that we do our job, if we do that nobody can catch us.

"There are teams that have got themselves back into it after our little blip but it's up to us to open that gap back up again."