Relief the overriding emotion for Dons boss Gladwin after long-awaited win

The 39-day wait for an MK Dons victory finally came to an end on Saturday, and it came with a sigh of relief from Ben Gladwin.

The interim head coach orchestrated the 2-1 win over Morecambe at Stadium MK, but it needed his side to overturn a deficit, having fallen behind to a first-half penalty, won and converted by Lee Angol after 37 minutes.

But Luke Offord headed Dons level three minutes before the break before Danilo Orsi got his first goal at MK1, in Dons colours, on 65 minutes to secure the win.

It moves Dons 13 points from the relegation zone, but crucially, ends a seven-game run without a win - something which had been weighing heavy on the club.

“Relief was the overriding feeling because it has been a tough period for everybody at the club,” said Gladwin afterwards.

“(The dressing room) wasn't as bouncy as I was expecting, but even I sat down in the office and was relieved. I imagine the players felt that ten-fold. By the time we get back next week, the energy will be back, high and we'll be in a good place.

“I'm incredibly proud of the players and the staff. Everyone has pulled together, everyone has supported me so much. They gave me everything on the pitch. It was an important day.

“I hope today is a huge hurdle we've overcome. We've shown so many things.”

Making five changes to the side, Gladwin was able to extract a strong performance from his side, and one which he said showed evidence of the players taking on what he and his coaches have been integrating over the handful of sessions he has had since taking over.

He continued: “We needed a freshness, and we're spoilt for choice. It's tough to leave players out, it has been the hardest part of the job. We found a good solution today. Everyone will play their part for however long I'm doing this job.

“We won, which is really important, but it was the way we did it which meant the most to me. We can go and review it, see the good bits and the bad bits, but the fact they took on our information and implemented, it makes it so much easier for us to improve for next week.”