Liam Manning heaped praise on his players after their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
MK Dons moved to within six points of top spot in Sky Bet League One courtesy of their fifth away win in seven, and their second success of the week following the 1-0 triumph over AFC Wimbledon.
“It was a terrific performance and a result,” Head Coach Manning said in his post-match press conference. “I’m delighted for the guys – they worked hard for it and they deserved it.
“Coming here, you aren’t going to dominate for 95 minutes. We knew that we had to get through the first 10-15 minutes, which we did, and then I thought we shifted the momentum really well and got hold of the game.
“Coming out in the second half two-nil up but with a terrific atmosphere here and the quality they’ve got in the side, we knew they would increase the intensity of their press, slightly more direct. We can look at it as them dominating the second half but, really, there is the element of the scoreline making that happen.
“I’m delighted with what the guys showed second half – they dug in, sit in and defended the lead that we had. Although, we might not have dominated the ball like we wanted to, we still looked a threat throughout.”
Manning added: “What a performance from the guys in terms of what underpins our culture – hard-work, fight and sticking together in tough moments.
“We have a team-fist mentality and you could see the passion and togetherness amongst the players and staff after the game.
“Having good people who are willing to work hard and compete is a good asset to have.”
Here is what else Manning had to say in his post-match press conference…
Mo leading the line…
“It’s his game to be on the shoulder and it was a terrific shift and a finish. I’m really pleased with him. He had a tough couple of games, and he openly admitted that, but what’s got him through is working hard and looking to learn. With the way he’s led the line in the last few games, he sets the tone for us.”
Corbeanu’s moment of quality…
“Twiney is feeling the pressure in terms of Goal of the Month! It’s a terrific strike. He’s only 19 but he’s stepped up in front of 15,000 people and delivered a moment of real, high quality which, rightly so, wins us the match. He’s a fantastic character and that’s what is so appealing about him - football ability aside, he’s hungry to learn and desperate to have an impact.”
Jamie’s solid debut…
“Really solid. A lot of people might say he’s just doing his job but what we’ve seen at the end is a terrific, match-winning save for us that gets us over the line. We knew he could do that – we’ve seen him do it numerous times for Gillingham this season – which is why we did the work to bring him in. It was a really good debut for the Club.”
Darling out with hamstring injury…
“Yes, he’s injured - hence us having six on the bench. He has a sore hamstring and we will get a scan on it. He was here, in the dressing room celebrating afterwards – he’s all-in.”
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Liam Manning's MK Dons will look to secure a third straight win this Saturday when they take on Doncaster Rovers at Stadium MK.
Tickets are priced from £22 adults, £17 over-65s and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE. Upgrades are available to East Centre and West Centre.
To book tickets CLICK HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 01908 622922. Tickets will be available to buy right up up until kick-off from the Box Office.
