Jake's winner is one of his best

MK Dons players celebrate their second half gol during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Milton Keynes Dons at the iPro Stadium, Derby, England on 13 February 2016. Photo by Jon Hobley. PNL-160213-175815002

Scoring the winner against Derby County on Saturday ranks as Jake Forster-Caskey's best career goal.

The 21-year-old wrapped his left foot around an 82nd minute free kick to stick it in the top corner of Scott Carson’s net to secure Dons a 1-0 win over the managerless Rams, moving them five points clear of the Championship drop zone.

Having scored 12 goals in his career prior to the game at the iPro Stadium, Forster-Caskey ranks his winner as the best.

“It’s right up there,” he said. “I’ve played here a few times and lost every time, so to come here an score the winner is up there. I was just glad to score.

MK Dons forward Jake Forster-Caskey lines up his 82nd free kick which he scores from putting the Dons 1-0 up during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Milton Keynes Dons at the iPro Stadium, Derby, England on 13 February 2016. Photo by Jon Hobley. PNL-160213-175826002

“I’m delighted. The three points is massive, but on a personal level I’m delighted to see it go in. I’ve played a few games here now and have been wanting to score for a while.”

Having returned to the club in January, Forster-Caskey has been a mainstay in the centre of midfield. And he feels his form is getting ever better with the more time he spends on the pitch.

He said: “When I came here, I hadn’t played a lot of football so my match fitness probably wasn’t there. I think I’m fit and playing well now.”

The win comes at the end of a very positive seven days for MK Dons. Having drawn against Cardiff City and Middlesbrough, taking three points home from Derby has lifted Dons five points clear of the relegation zone.

And with games against Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield Town coming up - teams around them in the table - Forster-Caskey isn’t expecting things to get any easier.

He said: “We all believe we can win every game. We’re more compact, we’re playing more as a team and we’re going into game with more confidence.

“We’ve worked really hard on staying compact, and it’s working. The teams at the top are struggling to break us down - you saw that against Middlesbrough and Derby did here too.

“We have a few new faces in there, but we’re all close already. We know we have a tough task to get further away from the drop zone. We don’t want to be there.

“Every game is massive between now and the end of the season, but it’s the ones against the ones around you that you want to win.”