MK Dons fell to their first league defeat of the season at Crawley Town on Tuesday evening – a first bump in the round for Head Coach Graham Alexander, who wants his squad to ensure it is nothing more than that.
Despite Mo Eisa’s third goal in as many games cancelling out Nick Tsaroulla's opener, a second-half strike from Danilo Orsi earned the Red Devils all three points and inflicted a first league loss on Alexander's Dons after back-to-back victories to open up.
“I’ve been in the game a long enough time to know it's not all plain sailing and there are going to be bumps along the way,” Alexander said in his post-match press conference. “You don't want them but you know they will come along at some point.
“We knew it was going to be an ongoing project here with what we're trying to do. There's going to be bumps along the way and that's a bump. Now we’ve just got to make sure that one result doesn't puncture everything up until this point.”
Discussing the performance, Alexander continued: “Did we do enough to win the game? No, I don't think so, we have to be honest.
“There were moments where we could have done better, at both ends of the pitch, which would have changed the momentum of the game and then maybe the result - that’s what we have to look at.
“I think both goals have come from our possession, where we've turned the ball over quite cheaply and I wouldn't say we defended those moments particularly well either.
“We didn't defend the two goals well but we didn't take the opportunities we created. We were quite careless in our final ball, our final shot and our final pass. We can’t be that wasteful.
“That’s professional football at every level – it’s cut-throat and you have to take any opportunities that that you create.
“You have to give Crawley credit as well, they've started the season really well and you can see that in the results. We can't take anything away from their performance but we've got our own ambitions and our own standards which we didn't get to tonight.
“I knew that we needed to get better after the Tranmere result and after Wrexham, when we had a fantastic victory. I’ve said after all the games so far that there are things we need to improve on and that will be ongoing.”
Alexander added: “There's still more to come from our team. I know what they capable of when they're fresh and they're ready but this is what English football's about - they have to be ready for it.
“We’ve got really good professionals who are doing their absolute best to be ready for the next challenge and we've got another one in in three days. Before then, have to be honest with ourselves, and take responsibility and accountability and make sure we're better on Saturday.”
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Graham Alexander's MK Dons will look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to the JobServe Community Stadium to take on Colchester United.
Tickets are on sale now from the Box Office and online, priced at £21.50 adults, £16.25 concessions and £12.25 under-18s if bought in advance of matchday. Tickets purchased on the day of the game will be subject to a price increase.
To book tickets CLICK HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 01908 622933. Tickets will be available to buy from the Box Office and online up until 4pm on Friday.
