Martin wants more goals after seeing off Bristol Rovers

It may have been pretty comfortable for MK Dons in the end as they cruised to a 2-0 Boxing Day win over Bristol Rovers, but Russell Martin felt his side could have wrapped the game up much earlier.

Ben Gladwin scored a stunner in first half stoppage time to open the scoring, before Scott Fraser netted on 62 minutes to put the game to bed. It could and should have been more though, with both goal-scorers missing arguably easier chances in the opening 45 minutes, while Joe Mason and Regan Poole missed second half sitters which would have killed Rovers off.

With only 22 goals to their name in 20 League One games this season, Martin said his side have to be more clinical in front of goal.

"We should score more goals," he said. "We get in there regularly, but when you're further up the league it becomes easier because you're not as tense and you feel like it will come. Here, we're still trying to find that mentality.

"In the second half, we had even better chances, I think we had 14 in the box which tells you a story. We need to keep working on it, and when that only gets stronger when you win games.

"We have to build on this win now, we've had some good ones this season and haven't been able to build, but we have to take it up a notch again now."

Overall though, Martin was pleased to get back to winning ways, after four league games without a victory, while not losing sight of the fact he got one over on the man who brought him to Dons in the first place - Rovers boss Paul Tisdale.

He continued: "It was an important game because of previous results, and it's not lost on me that it's the previous manager, the man who brought me to the club. It makes it more important for a lot of people. This is a big win for us.

"I think, apart from the start of the first five minutes of the second half, we were excellent. Our intensity and willingness to work harder than them and do the dirty stuff which allowed us to go and play football was really good.

"It was a strong performance with a depleted squad. We lost two starters in Matty (Sorinola) and David (Kasumu), so it was tough. But the guys who came in were outstanding, and it was a really good team performance."