MK Dons fell to their first defeat in six games on Tuesday night, but defender Russell Martin insists the Dons can’t dwell on the loss.
Heading into the clash at The Globe Arena, Paul Tisdale’s side had won five consecutive games - a run of form that had seen them climb back into the automatic promotion picture.
Martin insists the Dons can learn from the defeat, but have to refocus ahead of Saturday's clash with Stevenage at Stadium MK.
“We’ve lost three points and we can’t lose anything else,” the experienced defender told the media following the full-time whistle in Lancashire. “We had a lot of momentum coming into the game – we need to continue that.
“We’ve been really effective and picked up a lot of points at home recently so we’ll just write this one off. We can learn from every game but you cannot pick the bones out of this one – it’s one of those that could’ve gone either way.
“We’ve been on a great run of form, and we need to bounce back on Saturday. If we go on a good run again, we’ll be right back in the mix.”
The windy conditions played havoc with Tuesday’s encounter, but Martin states there’s no excuse for defeat, with the finer details missing from the Dons performance.
“It was a freak game with the conditions but we cannot use that as an excuse. We need to be better with the details and how we approach the final third in conditions like that – they played the conditions better than us.
“The disappointing thing is the goals we conceded. We gave them a goal after half-time and it killed the game a bit. We did really well to get back into it but the last goal was rubbish to concede and put the game to bed.”
Martin added, “Everyone saw the character and fight – it was not for a lack of effort or trying. We’ve shown a lot of resilience in the last few weeks.
“Bravery isn’t about smashing tackles. It’s about being brave on the ball and being comfortable - we did that and then just stopped.”
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Paul Tisdale’s side face Boro this coming Saturday, looking to secure their third successive home victory. Kick-off is at 3pm.
Before all that, supporters will be able to enjoy a host of activity in the Marshall Arena Fan Zone, with the fun getting underway from midday.
Fans will be able to watch the lunchtime TV game on a big screen while, for the kids, we have inflatables and football-related games to keep them occupied ahead of the big kick-off.
Tickets are priced from £22 adults, £17 over-65s and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE with a Young Dons members. This includes entry to the Marshall Arena Fan Zone from midday.
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 or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will also be available from the cash-only ticket booths right up until kick-off.
