Luke Williams was pleased to see MK Dons secure their place in the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy.
The Dons beat Stevenage 3-2 in an eventful encounter at the Lamex Stadium and that result, coupled with Southampton Town Under-21s’ defeat to Northampton Town later on Tuesday evening, saw Russell Martin’s side seal a top-two finish in Southern Group C.
“We want to try and win every game but also this a really good tournament – one we want to try and win,” assistant manager Williams told the media after the game.
“We stuck to our task today and got the job done against a Stevenage side who worked unbelievably hard and put pressure on us non-stop for 95 minutes.
“We've seen a good pattern of dominating games and chances compared to the opposition, but we've not been clinical enough in either box. Let's hope this is the start of that.”
Tuesday’s squad included 10 Academy products, six of which were named in the starting XI and two who were involved in the goals in brace-scoring Jay Bird and Callum Brittain, who provided the assist for the former’s winner.
“For John Goodman and the guys in the Academy, it's exceptional,” Williams commented.
“Those guys out there were looking comfortable too, not just filling their positions. They know what their jobs are, and they're pushing for places in the starting line-up.”
Despite the win, there was disappointed for the Dons with both Sam Nombe and Warren O’Hora forced off the pitch due to injuries. Williams provided the following update on the pair:
“[With Sam] it looks initially like a dead leg but we’re not certain just yet. The medical team will discover that. If it is a dead leg, normally that’s not a big issue but, again, we'll wait and see on the outcome.
“Warren has taken a knock to the head and protocol says he has to come off. He's a proper old-fashioned centre back and he would head a filing cabinet if you threw it at him! This won't stop him but he’s got to go through the protocol.”
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MK Dons will be looking to build on Tuesday's win when they take on Portmsouth at Fratton Park this Saturday.
Supporters can watch the match LIVE on iFollow MK Dons - click HERE to purchase a Video Match Pass!
