Dons boss 'relieved' after getting first win of the season

The first win of the season for MK Dons came as a relief to head coach Mike Williamson as he saw his side win 3-0 over Carlisle United on Saturday.

First-half goals from Callum Hendry and Alex Gilbey put his side in control at Stadium MK, but had to wait until stoppage time at the end for Ellis Harrison to make sure of the result.

After defeats in their opening three matches this season, Williamson admitted it was a weight off his mind to get some points on the board.

“It's relieving,” he said afterwards. “I'm really pleased for the boys. I know we've talked about controlling the controllables, but I'm as pleased for the boys as I am the fans.

“I feel we got our rewards today, which we didn't in the first two games. We've got to keep doing what we're doing. We lose a bit of concentration in periods and it shows, they got in top in small patches.

“But everyone was brilliant to a man, the subs made impacts, it was a real squad performance.

“We've not heard any frustration from the fans - they understand how we play, and we want them on the edge of their seats all the time. I'm especially pleased for him, we're off the mark now and we have to build on it.”

While dominating the first-half, Dons left the door slightly ajar for Carlisle to potentially get back into the game, with keeper Tom McGill making three important saves with the score at 2-0. And with the game a little more open in the second-half, Williamson said Dons too had to change the way they shaped up against the Cumbrians.

Williamson continued: “We had to be patient in the first-half, the windows have to be right, but always concentrated to break their back line.

“We did that well, but we knew they'd step on in the second-half, but we have to hurt teams in different ways when they change.

“We’ve got athleticism, we've got runners and we've got technical players, so we have to make sure we keep concentrated and continue to probe.”