Bittersweet MK Dons debut for keeper Trueman

Saving a penalty on his debut should have been a huge positive for Connal Trueman, but it ended in defeat for the keeper.

The 28-year-old signed for MK Dons on a short-term deal from Millwall on transfer deadline day and went straight into the starting line-up to face Bromley on Saturday.

But while he got a boot to Michael Cheek’s fiercely struck spot-kick early in the second-half, and needed treatment on his ankle as a result, there was nothing he could do to deny Ben Thompson from tapping in from close range on the hour-mark to win it for the visitors at Stadium MK, taking the varnish off his debut.

“You want to contribute to positive results, so it feels a bit meaningless. It's my job, it's what I'm there to do. When you make that save at 0-0, you hope it spurs the side on and you go and get a result, then it's a really good introduction. But it feels a bit flat at the moment.

“(Cheek) caught it sweet and it took my ankle into next week. I was happy to keep it out. I'll be alright for Tuesday night, no worries.

“I'm happy to be here, I'm happy to be playing but you want to be playing in wins. I think we dominated the first-half, we were camped in their half but we didn't take advantage. In the second-half, it wasn't as good, wasn't as fluid and we didn't click before getting beaten by that sucker punch.”

With the promotion race threatening to leave Dons behind after they suffered their eighth defeat in 12 games, Trueman said the side do not have time to feel sorry for themselves, with a long trip to Barrow on the agenda on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s game.

He continued: “We have no option but to dust ourselves down and go again on Tuesday night. The gaffer showed last year what a team can do in the second-half of the season. We feel good about the quality and the people we've got in the dressing room, so we'll have a right go at it.”