Liam Manning calls for discipline as MK Dons keep up promotion push

Posted Wednesday, April 06, 2022 by PA

Liam Manning refused to get carried away after his resurgent MK Dons soared into League One’s top two for the first time this season.

Dons battled past rock-bottom Crewe as Republic of Ireland aces Troy Parrott and Conor Coventry grabbed the goals at Stadium MK.

Bassala Sambou pulled one back for the struggling visitors in injury time but the Dons held on to leapfrog Rotherham – who have two games in hand after Sunday’s Papa John’s Trophy triumph over Sutton – into the automatic promotion places.

Boss Manning, 36, said: “We’ll keep chipping away and controlling what we can.

“That’s about turning up with the right focus, with the right discipline, the right intensity and churning out performances because that’s what gets you wins to keep us in the position that we want to be in.

“We’ve said it so many times this season that every week you’re facing a really difficult opposition – irrespective of where they are in the league, they’re tough to play against.

“It was the same when we went up there earlier in the season and first half how they set up, the block and the man-to-man press is tough to get into space behind them.

“But we showed some good moments to get there and then other moments a bit sloppy at times.

“The ball from skip (Dean Lewington)’s magnificent, and there was good movement and composure for the finish.

“Same as the second goal – it’s a moment of real quality that ultimately deserves to win us the game.”

Spurs loanee Parrott was the beneficiary of a sublime pass from captain Lewington, which he controlled and lifted over Alex goalkeeper Dave Richards.

Top scorer Scott Twine tested the crossbar with a free-kick just past the half-hour mark before West Ham loanee Coventry made it 2-0 when he slammed home his first Dons goal.

The defeat marked a 14th loss in 15 matches for the visitors, who did nick a goal through Sambou late on but remain 13 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the League One table.

Manager David Artell said: “MK Dons are the best footballing team in the division and for the large parts of the second half we more than matched them.

“We made a far better fist of it second half, I thought we were far too bold in our aggressive actions in terms of trying to get the ball back and they kept getting in behind us.

“In the second half that happened far less and we were actually getting more opportunities, certainly had more action in and around their penalty area which culminated in a deserved goal – but by that point it’s too little, too late.

”We’ve just had a good chat in there with the players and for the first time in a while there was something back from the players and that was good, healthy and will stand us in good stead going forward.”