Cup win over Watford needs to act as a catalyst for MK Dons

A very impressed Liam Manning said his MK Dons side need to use their Carabao Cup win over Watford as the building block to kick-start their League One season.

The 2-0 win over the Championships side at Vicarage Road on Tuesday was their most complete showing of the season, and fully deserved too as a lacklustre Hornets side were brushed aside in front of nearly 9,000.

Having lost their opening three games in the league, Dons are still looking to jump-start their season and Manning hopes to use Tuesday’s game as the catalyst to get them up and running.

“I'm really pleased,” he said. “We knew we'd be up against it at times tonight, given their experience and quality. But we did us, we stuck to our style. We created the best quality chances and know that's in the group. We have to now consistently reach that level. We can't let this be a one-off, we have to carry this on.

“We had five 19-year-olds start, so it was a young side, and that's so exciting. Development can be inconsistent, but we put it all together tonight. We have to connect all the pieces consistently now.

“Because the games have been so thick and fast, we've not really had time to breathe and reflect on it. Tonight, we've played well and won. We have to reflect on it, take the momentum from the last week and continue to build.

“We have to keep improving.”