Lessons must be learned after Wigan humbling, says Dons defender

Picking through the bones of a poor performance is a must for MK Dons after their defeat to Wigan Athletic.

Putting in arguably their worst showing since Paul Warne took over in April 2025 at the Brick Community Stadium, the 3-1 loss had precious few positives to take as the Latics romped to an easy win - their first of the season - while Dons continue to seek their first back in League One.

Curtis Nelson, who skippered the side in the first-half in Greater Manchester, said the game is not one to simply forget and move on from despite it’s disappointing nature.

“We’ll look at everything that has happened tonight, watch it back and use it as prep,” he said. “It’s a double-edged sword: we’ll look at what we did wrong and how we can improve on it. We do that with every game, no game is ever perfect.

“It never felt like our night, and that’s something we’re really disappointed with, internally. That’s not the kind of performance the manager or the players have come to expect or want to put out so we’ve got to make improvements.

“It’s a tough one to take. The half-time team talk went out the window with that early goal. We’ve got to look at ourselves, look at the areas for improvement and put it right for Wycombe on Saturday.

“The positive is that we get to play again this Saturday and put the result right.”

Three of Dons’ four goals this season have come courtesy of Aaron Collins, with the Welshman coming off the bench to net the consolation with nine minutes to go.

Finding the back of the net from more sources is something Nelson believes Dons have to improve on moving forwards.

He added: “Collo got another goal, which shows we’ve got them in the team but need more collectively. Not just the strikers, but the defenders and from set plays.”