There were many positives for manager Paul Tisdale to take from the Leasing.com Trophy victory over Fulham Under-21s in midweek, not least an impressive senior debut from Matthew Sorinola.
Sorinola, who signed professional terms with the Dons this summer, was handed his first-team bow by Tisdale in Tuesday’s clash and certainly took his chance, putting in a solid display at right wing-back to help his side to a 1-0 victory and, on a personal note, earn himself the Man of the Match champagne.
Speaking to iFollow MK Dons after the game, Sorinola expressed his delighted at making his debut for the first-team and looked ahead to what he hopes will be more appearances in Tisdale’s team.
“I’m happy to have made my debut,” the 18-year-old said in the exclusive interview with iFollow MK Dons.
“I didn’t know until I got in for the game [that I was playing]. I was a little bit nervous before the game but I suppose that’s just normal. I was just concentrating on doing my best.
“All of my teammates helped me settle in and having the older boys out there helped me on the pitch.
“I thought I did okay. It was good to be able to get forwards and put crosses in the box. That is my game really so I was happy I got the opportunity to show what I can do.
“I’m thankful to Tis. Hopefully I can get more minutes moving forwards.”
While pleased on a personal level, Sorinola was also happy to have helped his side secure the win, which has them sitting six points clear at the top of their Leasing.com Trophy table.
It was the Dons’ first victory in five games and the young defender hopes it can provide them with the boost they need to return to winning ways in the league.
“It’s nice to have helped the team get the win,” he commented. “Hopefully we can push on this Saturday and in the remaining games.”
