Dons mixed ‘ugly stuff’ with their own style to see off Wycombe

MK Dons needed to grind it out to beat Wycombe Wanderers should enjoy their victory according to Tennai Watson.

Troy Parrott’s 39th minute penalty was the difference between the sides, though Anthony Stewart’s red card, coming as a result of the foul on the Dons striker to give away the spot kick, had a huge impact on proceedings at Stadium MK.

Watson formed part of the defence which kept their third clean sheet in six matches and extended their unbeaten run to seven matches, but it was far from smooth sailing as Dons had to put up with some late threats from the Chairboys.

He said: “It was always going to be difficult, but we did both sides of the game - did some ugly stuff and played our own style and we came out with three points so it's great.

“They made a few changes and it made it clear we couldn't switch off for a second. That was the message from the bench too, and I think we did it well.

“The gaffer has made it clear that you have to earn the right to play, and we've done that.

“Today we had to stay patient and wait for the chances to pop up but we got the win and that's the most important thing.

“You have to enjoy the moments straight after the game, but after that it's gone. It's a long season, there are a lot of games and you have to focus on the next one.”

With wins in the bag over Wycombe and Gillingham last week too, both down to 10-men, Watson said the recent games have shown the importance of being adaptable - something which Dons are showing regularly now as they sit a point off top.

He said: “It has been a crazy few weeks - we've had to face different opposition, learn new things we've had to be adaptable.

“There are somethings which are non-negotiable at the core of the team and we have picked that up really well. It has been a great experience and we're starting to see the fruits of that hard work.”