Russell Martin praised the character of his MK Dons side to fight back and earn a point on Tuesday, despite an ‘unacceptable’ first-half performance.
Martin’s Dons found themselves 2-0 down to Shrewsbury Town at Stadium MK, before goals from substitute Carlton Morris and Cameron Jerome earned a share of the spoils.
“I'm really proud of the way we came back in the final half an hour,” said Martin, whose side went close to winning the match late on.
“The first half was unacceptable. The whole dynamic of the game changes when you concede that early – they become more aggressive and it breeds anxiety amongst our players.
“It has happened too many times and it’s so frustrating. I'm embarrassed, even. We have to look at it forensically to do something to avoid it happening again.
“We didn't respond well enough in the first half. We were nowhere near where we needed to be and they had the better of the game up until the final half an hour, for sure, but we never gave up hope.
“In the final half an hour, we were relentless. I thought we deserved the goals and I'm even disappointed we didn't go on to win it in the end.”
Martin added: “The players know, and we know, that overall it's not acceptable, but there haven't been many games like this at home. We just have to look at it and make sure it doesn't happen again.”
