Taking the pressure off helped Smith shine in Oxford win

Sometimes less is more and for MK Dons midfielder Matt Smith, that helped him make a stand-out showing in the 2-1 win over Oxford United on Saturday.

The Welshman heads into the international break with his first Dons goal under his belt, firing Dons into the lead shortly before half-time, before he slid Will Grigg through on goal as the striker won and then converted a penalty to effectively secure the points at the Kassam Stadium.

Smith, while he has been a far bigger part of things this season than he was last after signing from Manchester City in January, has struggled for consistency this term - though he is far from the only one.

But making appearances in every game for Liam Manning’s side thus far, but has been guilty of trying to overplay, to do too much.

Smith’s latest outing was the pick of the bunch though because, he said, he took the pressure off himself.

“I felt like the last few games I've been trying to force things and make things happen,” he said after the win over Oxord. “Today, I just had a bit of calmness. I show my energy but in possession I felt I was forcing things.

“It doesn't help so I relaxed a bit more today, let the game flow. It was a good day for me and the team.”

Smith now links up with the Welsh national side for their two Nations League games against Belgium and Poland before the World Cup in November.

He said: “Going away is always a good time for me, I'm looking forward to it and especially off the back of this result.

“Going into an international break, we didn't want to have two weeks dwelling on a loss or a poor performance. Hopefully next week the place will be rocking again. It felt like we needed it as a group. We know we can perform well.

“Coming to a place like Oxford isn't easy, and to perform as we did is massive. Now we've got to look for a bit of consistency.”