Tisdale thrilled as MK Dons execute plan to beat Wimbledon

Posted Saturday, September 07, 2019 by PA

Manager Paul Tisdale toasted a job well done after MK Dons held on to beat bitter rivals AFC Wimbledon 2-1.

Goals from Sam Nombe and Rhys Healey put the hosts 2-0 up and cruising before half-time but Marcus Forss made the hosts sweat when he pulled one back in the final 10 minutes.

But MK stood firm, leaving Tisdale delighted to see his preparations pay dividends as they returned to winning ways in the league.

He said: “This was a week’s work and in football a week is a long time.

“We had some good craft about us and it was a good win. We made it difficult for ourselves in the last five or 10 minutes and it became a little edgy.

“I’m really pleased for everybody because I know this means a lot to a lot of people and for us it’s getting the three points too – we needed to get them because we’ve been unsettled.

“We started really brightly in the second half but we let one or two things go. We spoke about being tough, we can’t do everything yet, but one thing at a time – it was good enough.

“We’ve used the squad through this first few games of the season and we’ve all been involved in the good and bad so far, and now we’re making our way through October and the rest of the season.”

The result saw MK put a stop to their two-match losing run in the league, whereas for Wimbledon the disappointment of defeat at the home of their rivals was compounded by yet another failure to secure their first three points of the season.

Boss Wally Downes was typically downcast at the inability to add to their domestic tally, emerging empty-handed from another performance that perhaps deserved more.

He said: “I was disappointed with the first half because we were happy to come here and surrender possession in the first half because they like to have a lot of the ball.

“They played how we knew they would play but we weren’t strong enough to put into practice what we have worked on all week.

“We missed chances, we had more shots than them and more shots on target, and if we had our chances away we would have been fine.

“We’ve been competitive in every game but the key thing is to get the win and we have to make sure the players have the confidence to believe in what they’re doing.

“We’re learning as we go and I’m sure that when we get the first win our confidence will grow.

“The important thing is that we stay true to who we are.”