"We've lost too many games": Offord on MK Dons' mid-season slump

Defender Luke Offord says he and his MK Dons team-mates need to start learning how to win again after suffering a fourth defeat in six matches to drop them to the bottom of the top half in League Two.

Following their win over Chesterfield on December 3, Dons have picked up just four points from a possible 18, plummeting from third to 12th spot in the fourth tier.

While promotion is still very much the aim and drive for the side this season, Offord said they have already lost too many games - nine - at the half-way stage of the campaign, and must buck their ideas up if they are to harbour serious ambitions to be in League One next term.

“A lot of the games we've lost have been down to fine margins,” he said. “We're coming out on the wrong side of them, we've got to find ways to at least draw games, and not lose them.

“We've lost too many of the 23 games we've played, and we need to start finding ways to win. We've got to be solid too, because we've not kept enough clean sheets either, which as a defender is really annoying, and we've got to start doing that.

“We need to move on, need to get back on a winning streak. The last few games haven't been good enough, we've got to stop losing. We need to get back on it.”

The latest defeat, Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Salford City, was one which neither side really looked good in, but while Dons dropped another spot, Karl Robinson’s Ammies climbed into second thanks to their sixth straight triumph.

Offord continued: “It was disappointing because I felt we started the game well. They grew into it, were going man-for-man and we went too direct. We conceded a sloppy goal near half-time which shouldn't happen. But if we can't score, we should at least draw the game.

“We had a lot of chances, not many clear-cut ones, but we shouldn't be losing that game, it was a poor one to concede.

“They put out a physical team, we knew it would be tough and I think we've matched them but the goal has killed us.”