Clean sheet was crucial to get MK Dons back on track

A clean sheet and a couple of stitches were quite the reward for Charlie Waller after making his league debut for MK Dons on Saturday.

The 19-year-old came on at the break for Luke Offord on derby day, and helped his side to only their fourth lock-out of the season. But it wasn’t without drama for the teenager, needing two stitches in a wound on the top of his head, ending the game in a head bandage and the blood shirt.

“I thought it was going in if I'd got my head to it!” he said afterwards, having gone for a header at a corner in the 90th minute. “I've had a couple of stitches so it should be fine for Tuesday. I can't shower really with it, maybe I'll get a few wet wipes to get the red out, but it should be fine!”

“I'm glad we got a clean sheet, and a better result than we've had recently so hopefully we can continue with that.

“As a defender, it's the first thing you want. You can always build on that, there are more chances of the team winning if you keep a clean sheet. We were unlucky not to win today, but we can hopefully take it into Tuesday.

“It was two solid performances from two good teams, and two good defences.”

The result, Dons’ first point since New Year’s Day, ends a run of three consecutive defeats, something which Waller says was a big relief for the dressing room.

He added: “We knew we had to get a result to stop the rot. A clean sheet is a good start to that, and it's good we've got a game on Tuesday to push on, get a win and start another run.”