Paul Tisdale heaped praise on his defence following the 1-0 victory over Cambridge United at Stadium MK.
Tisdale’s MK Dons made it three straight Sky Bet League Two wins courtesy of the narrow success at The Abbey Stadium - a result which was earned courtesy of Chuks Aneke’s 50th career goal and a third-straight league clean sheet.
“When there is one goal in it, anything can happen,” Tisdale said in his post-match press conference. “We’ve had a couple of close ones this season where we’ve conceded a late goal - we didn’t want to allow them into the game at all and we did that with the clean sheet.
“The opposition will always have a say in the game and they gave us a real tough time in that last 30 minutes but our defenders were resolute.
“There was more craft to it than just throwing ourselves in front of their shots. I felt there was a real sense of discipline and focus in those situations around our box.”
He continued: “I’d have loved to have got a second goal but you don’t always get things as you want it.
"I was urging the team to go on and score a second because when you’re playing a game like this, you need to break away and try to score a second - you can’t just sit there like we’ve done a couple of times this year.
“Of course, if you give the ball away then it comes back to your goal very quickly - that happened four or five times and the guys at the back did extremely well in one-on-one situations to stifle their attacks.”
The victory saw MK Dons record three-straight league wins for the first time since 2015 and it was a result which lifts them back up to fourth in the Sky Bet League Two table.
While not getting carried away with the form, Tisdale is pleased to see evidence that progress is being made at the Club.
He added: “We’re beginning to gain some confidence and belief and that emanates through our play.
“It’s three out of three but part of the job as a manager is risk management - what could go wrong? You have to be a slight pessimist so excuse me, I’m not going to get too carried away just yet.
“There is still a lot of work to do - a lot more clean sheets kept and a lot more goals scored - but what I am pleased with is that we seem to be back on track and the club seems to be making progress.”
Here’s what else Tisdale had to say...
On the 951 travelling supporters...
“We had a great travelling support today. It was fantastic having that sort of support so thank you to them for making the trip. It just made it a really good day for us.”
On Chuks Aneke’s goal...
“It came from their set piece. That’s the irony of football - you work on things in training to try and create and the assist to our only goal is a clearance! Ryan Watson’s cleared it and then Chuks was incredibly strong to roll his man. Chuks then did his bit with a very nice finish.”
On Chuks Aneke’s booking sparking the game to life...
“Leading up to the goal, everything seemed a bit low-key. It was very windy and you couldn’t really hear each other which probably played a part in that. There were a couple of instances leading up to the goal which sparked everyone off. I don’t think many of us were pleased with [Chuks Aneke’s yellow card]. It certainly sparked the whole team up and suddenly after that there was energy around the place. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”
On his team’s togetherness...
“Having a team that wants to play together is likely the driving force behind everyone’s performances at the moment. The group are playing for each other and they are sticking to the team’s plan and that synergy is important. If you’ve got talent and ability and you’re able to play within the team’s framework then you’ve got a chance.”
On Lawson D’Ath returning to action...
“Lawson has been out for a while. The more players back in the fray and competing the better. We’re going to need all these players over the course of the next 30-odd games.”
On Jordan Houghton’s goal-line clearance...
“We gave the ball away in the middle third and I was very glad it didn’t end up in the back of the net. All I could see is the ball loop over the bar.”
***
Paul Tisdale and MK Dons will look to make it four league wins on the bounce when they entertain Northampton Town at Stadium MK this Saturday.
Tickets are priced from £22 adults, £17 over-65s and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE with a Young Dons members. Supporters can upgrade their seat to East Centre for just £5 more while an upgrade to clubRed is available for a £10 premium.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office/cash-only ticket booths or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
