Paul Tisdale was disappointed to see his MK Dons side exit the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday and hopes his players can learn from way in which their defeat to Grimsby Town came about.
Tisdale’s men led the Mariners 1-0 at Blundell Park courtesy of Kieran Agard’s seventh goal of the campaign, 23 minutes into the contest.
The hosts, though, fought back after the break and three second-half goals saw the Dons’ involvement in the Emirates FA Cup end at the First-Round stage.
“I’m disappointed to have lost,” Tisdale said in his post-match press conference. “Grimsby deserved their win - they had a real intensity to them in the second half that we just seemed to lack.
“I have little to criticise from that first-half performance - we played some really good football and probably deserved that goal with the chances we created.
“I don’t think the second-half defensive display was us. Grimsby stepped their game up a bit and we just didn’t quite respond well enough.
“They equalised and I expected us to step up after that and we didn’t. I’m disappointed with how that unravelled into two or three goals.
"Our defensive performances have been a real strong part of our personality so far so it’s certainly something to think about. I wanted better and we need to learn from that.
He continued: “We need to respond really quickly. I’ve had had very few reasons to be disappointed with the team this season but today was a bit of a disappointment.
"This game needs to be part of our psyche going forward and we shouldn’t forget about it. Hopefully it will make us a better team.”
Here’s what else Tisdale had to say in his post-match press conference…
On reviewing the game…
“We analyse the game every week, it’s part of our process. Winning or losing shouldn’t dictate whether we analyse the footage so we will look at it.
On whether there was an element of complacency…
“Had we been poor from the start of the game and never found our flow then I would say yes, there was complacency, but I saw no sign of that. It was just a good second-half response from them that we didn’t react to.”
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Paul Tisdale and MK Dons will look to bounce back on Tuesday night when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion Under-21s in their Checkatrade Trophy Group H decider.
Tickets are priced at just £5 adults and £1 under-18s while under-12s go FREE. Tickets will be sold on a block-by-block basis, starting in the East Centre. In clubRed, tickets are priced at £10 adults/seniors, £6 over-65s/under-18s and £5 for under-12s.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
