Martin 'a bit spiky' when style gets questioned

Russell Martin doesn't feel like he has to justify MK Dons' style of play.

Though it may raise heart-rates, may encourage some more courageous play from his goalkeeper, and draw attention from a few more opposition players in their own third but for the Dons boss, it is the right way of playing.

Dons have conceded more goals from set-pieces than any other means this season - against Coventry, Lincoln, twice against Portsmouth, against Stevenage and Oxford too - but some quarters still call into question how Martin wants his side to play.

"I was asked about this after the Oxford game, and I got a bit spiky about it," he said. "We are not doing it for vanity purposes, we're doing it aggressively and with purpose. Our goal the other night comes from George Williams passing the ball from his own corner flag. So many of our goals come from Lee Nicholls. It gives us control over a game, and it's something we really believe in. It gives us so much more reward than it does negative.

"If someone only watches us for a game, or watches clips, of course it can look scary, I get that, but you have to watch two or three games, not an incident in isolation, to understand the players do it really well.

"It takes a lot of responsibility, and I take a lot of pride in it. It gives us an identity, control, a lot of chances on goal and it keeps the ball off the opposition.

"Unfortunately, when teams do get too close to our goal at the moment, we're conceding too many, so we have to sort that out but that's not from playing out from the back. I feel protective over the players and what we're trying to do.

"Eventually, when we win and keep winning doing what we're doing, it will stop people asking the question, because that is not the problem."

Martin instead points at individual errors from his players costing his side. Giving away those set pieces in dangerous areas, or penalties or failing to clear balls into the box, the manager refuses to blame his players for those errors, but knows they have to take more responsibility on the pitch.

He continued: "My frustration comes from having working on something and given people clarity on it. Honesty mistakes will happen, and I will never come out publicly blame people. At the moment, it's lapses in concentration and we're being punished.

"If we were getting completely pinned back and being dominated, there would be a worry but that isn't the case. It's so frustrating when we give teams very little, we're still conceding when we are.

"We have to keep working on it. When we sent people onto the pitch, they have to be ready for what is coming, and that's on us. But when they're on the pitch, it's on them."