Russell Martin has praised the character of his MK Dons side, after they responded to their five-game winless run by securing back-to-back victories at Stadium MK.
Martin’s men followed up their 3-2 triumph over Accrington Stanley by beating Plymouth Argyle 2-1 on Tuesday night, with Scott Fraser’s 90th-minute penalty proving the difference after Conor Grant had cancelled out an opening goal from Cameron Jerome.
The two wins have lifted the Dons up to 14th in the Sky Bet League One table, and means they are now 15 points clear of the bottom four – and only seven adrift of the play-off places.
“It makes us all breathe a little bit easier,” Martin said in his post-match press conference.
“It would be easy to lose belief after the run we were on so to come through the sticky period, and win the games in the way we have, is brilliant.
“This season is about improvement and we want to finish as strong as we can. We've gotten better in each of the three games – it was a really excellent performance tonight.
“Plymouth are a good side, I like them a lot and really respect the way they play, but we limited them to very little - we conceded to a fantastic strike. I’m also proud with the amount of passing and control we had and we created some big chances.
“The subs were great and all made an impact, and that's what we want. We haven't got a huge squad but we've got strength in depth and it's important they come on and make that impact.
“We felt there would be another chance for us. Plymouth looked tired because of the control we had – it’s no coincidence that we have scored a couple of late goals recently because of how hard we work teams with the ball.
“If get a penalty, there's one man you want to take it and he stuck it in the back of the net.”
Martin added: “Overall, it was fantastic and I'm just really pleased to get back-to-back wins ahead of a really difficult game against the league's in form side on Saturday.”
The opening goal saw Matthew Sorinola and Cameron Jerome combine for the third time in two games and made it four assists in two for Sorinola, who has impressed since returning to the starting XI.
“I think Cammy is going to start paying him!” Martin said of his young full-back.
“We ask him to take more risks and to commit more of himself in the final third and he's doing that. Physically it's tough but because he's so reliable defensively, when he adds at the other end for us, it's fantastic.”
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Russell Martin and MK Dons will look to make it three wins in a row when they travel to Burton Albion this Saturday.
Due to the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions, the game will take place behind-closed-doors but MK Dons fans will still be able to watch the action courtesy of iFollow MK Dons.
With an iFollow MK Dons Video Match pass, you will be able to watch Martin's side in action on your laptop, computer, tablet or mobile device! Want to watch on your tablet or mobile device? Download the new EFL iFollow App and watch on the go, wherever you are!
To purchase a £10 Video Match Pass, click HERE and select Buy A Video Match Pass. Then simply log in to your iFollow MK Dons account and follow the instructions or register for an account, which can be done for free.
