Paul Tisdale was happy to see a dominant, attack-minded performance rewarded with three points at Vale Park on Tuesday evening.
Tisdale’s MK Dons side rode out a fast start from the hosts before racing into a two-goal lead courtesy of first-half finishes from Chuks Aneke and Kieran Agard.
They then saw out the remainder of the contest with relative ease and went close to extending their advantage on a number of occasions in the second half.
“They had a good five or 10 minutes at the start but we were capable enough today to ride that out and then take charge of the game,” Tisdale said in his post-match press conference.
“Over the last three or four games, we’ve shown that our intent has changed from a defensive, hard-working team to a team that wants to attack more. Maybe six or seven weeks ago we would have just kept with it after 10 minutes and just battled to keep the ball out of the net for 90 minutes.”
He continued: “I feel as though we deserved some wins in the last two or three games but didn’t get them so I’m also very, very pleased with what they players did tonight because it would have been very easy for them to lose a bit of confidence as we’ve done very little to boost confidence in the last two or three games.
“They’ve maintained their level of forward play and we got two goals in the first half which made life so much easier. How we didn’t manage to score three or four, I don’t know. We could have easily scored three or four.
"I’m very pleased for the travelling supporters. They have travelled recently to Yeovil, Lincoln and Swindon and I’m pleased we’ve got a win for them tonight. I’m really pleased for everyone because it’s been a tough couple of weeks at the Club.
"I’m pleased we’ve got a win and we can all move into Saturday with three points behind us.”
Here’s what else Tisdale had to say in his post-match press conference…
On the defensive performance…
“I’m really pleased with our defending. We were attacking, attacking, attacking and we didn’t let them get out - when we did lose it, we managed to stifle it really quickly. That shows a really good mentally. You can’t just attack and let them waltz out. I thought Jordan Moore-Taylor, Baily Cargill and Joe Walsh really took control of game."
On the three changes to the starting XI…
“Three of them dropped out today because I wanted fresh legs in the side. We’ve had two games a week now for a while. All our players are good players and they are all going to contribute.”
On Ryan Watson’s form…
“He’s playing a really nice role there. As much as he’s moved to find the space, our players are finding it. There were a number of times tonight where Jordan and Baily found that pass and I thought Jordan Houghton contributed in that for us as well. The next thing for Ryan is to start controlling the game by scoring those goals and making those assists. He’s on the right tracks and we’re on the right tracks.”
***
Tisdale and MK Dons will look to secure back-to-back wins this Saturday when they take on Cheltenham Town at Stadium MK.
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.
Don’t forget, with a Club Dons membership you can enjoy a £5 discount on 10 EFL matches during the 2018/19 season - Young Dons members are entitled to £1 off all 2018/19 EFL matches.
Season Ticket holders can also bring a friend for FREE on one occasion during the campaign while Premier Members can do so twice.
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.
