Karl Robinson accepted that his side’s 0-0 draw with Sheffield United was ‘a fair result’ as they made it six games without defeat in League 1.
The Dons have not been beaten since mid-February and Saturday afternoon’s stalemate with the promotion-chasing Blades keeps them within 10 points of the play-off places, still with a game in hand.
.mkstadiumAnd although Robinson felt his side could have snatched the win after a dominant display at Bramall Lane, the 32-year-old is hopeful that his players can build on the hard-earned point as they prepare for two tough games against Shrewsbury Town and Tranmere Rovers next week at
Speaking after the match, Robinson said: “I think a draw was fair. We’ve played Sheffield United twice now and taken four points off them but I think a point was the right result and we can walk away without feeling too despondent.
“It was a difficult pitch but we still managed to play our football and I thought we retained the ball very well and we definitely frustrated the home crowd.
“We dictated the tempo in the first half, although they did have a spell in the second half but that’s always going to happen when you come up against a team like Sheffield United.
“It’s important now, though, that we build on this and hopefully it isn’t too little too late for us, now our performances are starting to pick up. We’ve got two big games next week at home to both Shrewsbury and Tranmere and they will arguably be two of the biggest games we’ve played in.
“But I’m pleased today. We’ve beaten both Doncaster and Sheffield United at home and taken points off them away from home. We’ve taken eight points off of the top two teams in the League.”
The game’s two main talking points will be the two penalty appeals for both sides in the second half. Just before Barry Robson appeared to collide with Dean Lewington in the Dons box, loanee Patrick Bamford, playing in his first match since December after being out through injury, was booked for an apparent dive after pressure from a retreating Michael Doyle.
Dons boss Robinson, though, believes both teams should have been awarded spot-kicks by referee Carl Boyeson.
“They should have had a penalty in the first half for a handball by Dean Lewington, which everybody seems to have missed. I didn’t think he conceded a penalty in the second, I just thought it was good defending, but both teams should have had a penalty today - one in the first half for them and one in the second half for us.
“Patrick got caught, tried to stay up, lost his footing and got booked. He was in on goal and so he wouldn’t have just gone down.”
As well as the result, there were more positives to take from the game including Bamford’s impressive return to action following a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and his Robinson was keen to praise the young striker, as well as his goalkeeper Ian McLoughlin, who kept his second consecutive clean-sheet for the Dons.
“Patrick showed his ability by picking up the ball and ghosting past three players at pace just before the penalty shout - that’s why we’ve missed him. I’m looking forward to working with him and he’s somebody whose only going to improve us over the next month and a half.
“I was also pleased with Ian’s performance. It’s good to see your second goalkeeper performing well and he’s not let us down since he’s been called upon, which is important.”
