Williamson calls for Dons to show more Saddlers spirit in second leg
The MK Dons head coach wants his side to remember their biggest win of the season
Mike Williamson has no doubts his side can still make it to the play-off final at Wembley, citing their emphatic win over Walsall in March.
Following on from their 5-0 thumping at the hands of eventual League Two champions Stockport County last month, Dons bounced back in style with a 5-0 win of their own, thrashing the Saddlers at Stadium MK at the next opportunity. Dons’ ability to return to form after a defeat has been a trait of their season since the head coach took over in October - winning at the first attempt after each of the nine league losses suffered under Williamson.
And with plenty of examples of play-off comebacks to draw from, the head coach said his side’s own comeback traits are giving him the most hope heading into Saturday’s game.
“You can look at comebacks like Liverpool (vs Barcelona) and Sheffield Wednesday (vs Peterborough) but I only look at these boys - we lost 5-0, we won the next game 5-0,” he said. “Our records speak for themselves, but the stakes are extremely high: it's a season in a game.
“We've got a good record of bouncing back, and at home, but it's a unique game because our whole season rests on this game. We have to do everything we can to turn up and be the best possible version of ourselves.
“We've got a bulletproof mentality of coming back from painful defeats. The Stockport defeat was the first time I saw some of the lads get knocked, but the response was incredible. Setbacks are a platform to move forward.”
He continued: “We're in this game for the biggest challenges, we want to be involved in the biggest games. We didn't plan to come into the home game with a 3-0 deficit, but that's the facts in the cold light of day. Do I believe we can win at home by three goals? Of course I do.”