Luke Williams praised the professionalism of Tuesday’s performance, which resulted in a comfortable 2-0 victory over Northampton Town in the Papa John’s Trophy.
The Dons’ passage through to the quarter finals of the competition never looked in doubt after Stephen Walker broke the deadlock with 27 minutes played.
Walker later added a second from the penalty spot to make sure of the win, on a dominant night’s work at the PTS Academy Stadium.
“It was a really professional display from the guys,” Williams said to iFollow MK Dons.
“There were a lot of guys sore and tired before kick-off [after Saturday] and the pitch was very heavy too, but the mentality shone through.
“They have been really successful playing in a manner where they can be direct so we had to stand up to that and we did that really well.
“Joe Mason's effort, I think, was onside, and after that we wondered whether it was going to be our night, but we managed to score. That first goal is always important.
“If our second didn't come, things could have been very difficult late on but, thankfully, we got the second and it took the wind out of their sails.”
Tuesday’s victory means the Dons are just 180 minutes from a trip to Wembley Stadium and Williams hopes that prize will motivate the squad – not just in the Papa John’s Trophy, but in the league as well.
“It's massive because everyone wants to play at Wembley and win something,” the assistant manager said. “We're all motivated to get here.
“We know we have to pick up form in the league, first and foremost, but we're hoping one goes hand-in-hand with the other.
“Everyone is just in a good place at the moment. We've got some key guys who are getting closer to being fit again, on top of this, so we're looking like we're in a strong position.”
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MK Dons return to Sky Bet League One action this weekend when they travel to the Weston Homes Stadium to take on Peterborough United.
Supporters can watch Saturday's match LIVE on iFollow MK Dons - click HERE to purchase a Video Match Pass for just £10!
