Robbie Neilson was disappointed his MK Dons side’s performance at The Den wasn’t rewarded with any points.
Goals in the first-half from Millwall striker Lee Gregory and Dons midfielder Ben Reeves had the score tied at 1-1 with three minutes remaining in Saturday’s contest.
Neilson’s men went agonisingly close to securing an impressive victory late on when Dean Bowditch headed over from close-range before a controversial penalty decision in stoppage time allowed the hosts to take all three points.
“It was always going to be tough coming here because they don't lose a lot of goals and they make it difficult for the defenders but we stood up to it well,” Neilson told MK Dons PlayerHD. “I couldn't ask any more from them but one decision from the referee swings the game.
Neilson’s men went agonisingly close to securing an impressive victory late on when Dean Bowditch headed over from close-range before a controversial penalty decision in stoppage time allowed the hosts to take all three points.
“It was always going to be tough coming here because they don't lose a lot of goals and they make it difficult for the defenders but we stood up to it well,” Neilson told MK Dons PlayerHD. “I couldn't ask any more from them but one decision from the referee swings the game.
“To be fair, the boy does really well. He gets across my defender, grabs his arm and pulls him down with him. He's made the referee make the decision. If it was my player, I'd be delighted with him. You'd hope the referee would be experienced enough to handle the game and see these things, but we didn't have that today.”
Penalty decision
Here’s what else Neilson had to say in his post-match press conference...
“Ultimately it all comes down to the referee's decision.”
“In the balance of the game, we didn't give up a lot of chances. We only let one cross in to the box in the first half and they scored from it. We created two really good chances in the second half but didn't take them and we paid the price.
“We came into these three games looking for nine points and we didn't get it. Today was always going to be tough, as was Bradford away, but we've handled ourselves really well and at no time did we look like we were going to get turned over. We've also had chances to win it. We should be sitting here with more points but that's football.”
Recent points return
“This is a phenomenal place to come and I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was great but you need strong players with good characters and a referee who can handle the pressure. We had two out of the three - that's why it wasn't a great game for us.”
Atmosphere at The Den
“I can understand their frustration. If it's a foul, it's a foul - it doesn't matter what the crowd shout. (The referee) is there to make the correct decision - if he can't do that, the players will get frustrated.”
Yellow cards to George Baldock and Dean Lewington
“With 25 minutes to go, I think the referee started to lose control of the game. It's a tough place to come for the players and it's tough for referees - he didn't stand up to the game.”
Referee’s performance
