Maguire's frustration over late Tranmere equaliser to salvage draw
Dons were denied back-to-back wins for the first time thanks to Tranmere’s stoppage time equaliser
Defender Laurence Maguire felt MK Dons had Tranmere Rovers well in hand before their 91st minute equaliser snatched away two points at Stadium MK on Saturday.
Leading through Joe White’s second goal of the season on 24 minutes, Dons headed into three minutes of time added on holding onto their advantage, only for Regan Hendry to peel away and fire home at the death to make it 1-1.
Head coach Scott Lindsey, taking charge of his first home game, did not hide his anger afterwards, and Maguire admitted the players had only themselves to blame.
“The boys are very frustrated at the end, we wanted the three points and the clean sheet,” he said. “We felt we weren't good enough in the second-half, we didn't play as well as we did in the first especially with the ball.
“Tranmere didn't really create much, we defended the box well, but this is football. With a one-goal lead, anything can happen and they've scored with a minute to go.
“We didn't create enough chances towards our fans, we didn't excite them. On the whole, as as defensive unit, they didn't really trouble us though in terms of creating chances. We defended the box, they had a couple of set-plays but didn't really have much until that last minute.”
Holding onto the win would have lifted Dons one place to 13th above rivals AFC Wimbledon in League Two, after they too conceded late to Karl Robinson’s Salford City in a 1-0 defeat at the Peninsula Stadium.
But while it has made only a little difference in the standings at this stage in the season, Maguire said: “No-one is running away with it yet, but it's still very early. A couple of wins back-to-back can put you right back in it.
“We're four unbeaten now, it's something to build on but we need to start picking up wins.”