Russell Martin was delighted to be able to reward returning supporters with a stunning display and result on Tuesday night.
MK Dons cruised into the Papa John’s Trophy Round of 16 courtesy of a 6-0 thrashing of Norwich City Under-21s, in the first men’s game played in front fans at Stadium MK since 7 March.
“I hope they enjoyed it because we certainly enjoyed having them back,” Martin said in his post-match press conference.
“It felt different right from the warm-up, having a bit of noise and a bit of buzz back. Let's be honest – it has been rubbish without them, hasn't it? We're grateful to have played through this difficult period, but it has been nowhere near the same.
“I also think we’ve suffered from not having fans at home and away, with the way we play. I hope it benefits us now, moving forwards, and obviously I hope we can repeat the performance on Saturday with a few more in here.”
On the performance, Martin said: “It was outstanding. They were a young team, but so are we.
“It shows what we can do if we manage the game well from the start. If we don't concede first, the team is capable of top performances and we've shown that.
“The biggest thing for me was their relentlessness, intensity, their desire, the speed they moved the ball, and their commitment to win the ball back. We dominated territory and we played most of the second half in their final third.
“There were some outstanding goals. When the opportunities came, we took them. The composure they showed in and around the box, especially in the second half, was really good to see.”
Martin added: “Any game for this club is important and that’s why we put out a strong team still. I'm delighted we're though, but more so because we we did it in the way that we did.”
