‘Performance of the season’ earns Dons the win at Burton

Scott Twine’s 95th minute winner against Burton Albion capped MK Dons’ best performance of the season, according to head coach Liam Manning.

Dominating throughout, Dons would have been desperately unlucky not to leave the Pirelli Stadium with just a point, especially after hitting the woodwork through Tennai Watson and Troy Parrott in a one-sided first half.

Though Burton emerged a more competitive outfit in the second period, it was still Dons who controlled the game thanks to the imperious Josh McEachran, whose 95th minute lofted pass to substitute Connor Wickham allowed Twine to volley home his 12th goal of the season to win it.

“I think that's up there with the performance of the season,” said Manning. “The timing of the goal makes it all the sweeter, but the performance was terrific.

“I was disappointed to be going in 0-0 at half time given the quality of our play. We were so good in terms of problems solving, dominating the ball in difficult conditions against a tough side.

“We've got a happy changing room and rightly so.”

Twine’s strike from the edge of the box is his first goal since his Boxing Day brace against Lincoln City, and after Dons drew a blank against Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, Manning said it was a just reward for the top-scorer.

“He has that in his locker,” Manning added. “We sat down with the attackers after the Doncaster game because after games like that, it can knock your confidence but we told them to keep making good decisions. Twiney made a lot of them in the first half, when to shoot or offload to a team mate.

“I'm delighted he got the goal, he worked so hard and he's so desperate to improve and that shows when he delivers a moment of magic like that.”