Karl Robinson dedicated MK Dons’ Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Round 1 win over Northampton Town at stadiummk to the Dons supporters.
The Dons boss, taking charge of the Club’s 500thcompetitive fixture which his side won 2-0, hoped the local derby win gave the supporters something to smile about.
The men from MK1 were patient in the first-half, in which Northampton Town had Ishmel Demontagnac shown a straight red card, but turned on the style after the break as Patrick Bamford and Dele Alli fired past Matt Duke.
Speaking to the media after the match Robinson said: “We had the chances to win put the game out of sight in the first half but we never took them, everyone was on the edge of their seats in the second half but I thought it was a very professional performance from the players.
“It was a good night for us, it was a local derby and it gives the fans some bragging rights too. It was nice to put a performance on, it was important to me and they didn’t let me down.”
While Bamford and Alli will receive the plaudits for their strikes, it was the performance of Jason Banton, who set up both goals, which caught the eye of Robinson and the media. The wide man looked in impressive form at stadiummk on Tuesday night but his manager is still demanding more.
“Jason can be a frustrating player because the fans see what he can do and sometimes he doesn’t replicate it enough but when he is on form like that he is unplayable but we need to see it more often. I was right behind his shot and I thought it was a goal but all of a sudden the ‘keeper’s go-go-gadget arms came from nowhere and he tipped it around the post.“
Northampton were holding their own up until the dismissal of Demontagnac in the 34th minute but with only 10 men on the pitch they eventually caved in to the pressure from the Dons.
The midfielder was shown an instant red card for his late lunge on Alli, who had been shown a caution earlier in the match for a crunching challenge on Demontagnac.
Robinson was keen not to draw too much attention to the dismissal but his own player walked the tight rope with his tough challenge.
The Liverpudlian added: “I think it is a bit unfair for me to talk about another manager’s players. The boy is a wonderful talent and that is against his character; he’s just seen red at that moment in time.
“Dele’s challenge earlier wasn’t great; some referees would deem that as a straight red, I didn’t think it was personally but I have seen them given, so he will learn from that as well. Aidy Boothroyd is a good manager and I am sure he will deal with his own player how he sees fit.”
The Dons will discover their Round 2 opposition on Saturday morning, when the draw takes place live on SoccerAM at around 10.30am.
