Pain of derby defeat must act as fuel in MK Dons' run-in

Mike Williamson wants his players to remember the pain of Saturday's derby defeat to spur them on for the rest of the season.

The last-gasp heartbreak against rivals AFC Wimbledon left a sour taste in the mouth on Saturday ahead of tomorrow night's visit to League Two leaders Mansfield Town. But while fans might want to put the feeling to the back of their mind, Williamson wants his players to use it as fuel for the remaining 11 games of the season.

"We have to harness it," he said. "We reflect on every result, regardless of the outcome or the emotion. We've got to take stock of where we are. We didn't perform to our levels, so we can't really be devastated to lose the point. I don't like to feel as though moments in a game were the difference. I want us to stack the odds so far in our favour that you do enough and I don't feel we did that.

"The fans were incredible on Saturday. They've had to experience a lot of pain from it, and that's difficult. But we're all on the journey together and the harder we fall the more we have to stick together and make us all stronger. I know what the fans put into the club, what they sacrifice to support us. I know it's a difficult moment to swallow, but we have to channel it and get a positive outcome."

After each of Dons' last five defeats though, they have responded with victory. Though they face arguably the toughest test of that reaction when they take on the Stags at Field Mill tomorrow, Williamson said: "Our reaction to setbacks has been good. I saw the pain in their faces afterwards, and it was difficult for me to see.

"But the way they conducted themselves was the most important thing."