Bramall calls for more bravery and risk-taking after Dons draw with rivals

Cohen Bramall thinks MK Dons played things too safe in the 0-0 draw with AFC Wimbledon on Thursday night.

The goal-less draw was their sixth tie out of seven games in League One this season, with their hunt for a first win in the division still ongoing since their promotion from League Two.

The visitors pieced together just seven efforts on goal at Plough Lane, with Sam Nombe and Callum Paterson both drawing saves from AFC Wimbledon keeper Josef Bursik in the first-half.

Head coach Paul Warne felt both sides were more keen not to lose than to risk it and go all-out for victory, with Bramall frustrated afterwards that he and his team-mates were not braver in the final third.

“We’ve got so much more to show and give, we’ve got loads more,” he said. “We need to be braver. We need to get into different positions.

“We’ve got the players, the team, the skillset to do it, it’s just showing it. When you’ve got Dan Crowley or Gilbs in the pocket, we’ve got Collo dropping in, me and Pato high and wide, we look dangerous.

“I’m kicking myself because I know we can show more, we can get into good areas. We’ve just got to be more aggressive.

“When you start well, you can build a foundation, and we did that and grew in confidence. It’s just taking the positives out of it.”

For Bramall, it was his first time experiencing the rivalry between the sides, but while there was a nervous tension in the stands, the wing-back admitted he was expecting a more vociferous experience.

He continued: “It’s the first time I’ve played in this game, but I really enjoyed it. I thought it would be a bit more hostile. We had these fans quiet when we got into good areas.

“I was proud of the fans and the lads tonight, but we’re disappointed not to win. We showed in the last 25 minutes that we can control the game but we need to take more risks and trust ourselves a bit more.”