Williamson's reaction after Harrison's late winner against Colchester United

Mike Williamson praised the strength in depth in his side after a late strike secured them a third win in a row on Boxing Day.

Ellis Harrison came off the bench to score his third goal of the season in the 89th minute against Colchester United, as MK Dons moved up to seventh in League Two courtesy of their 1-0 win at Stadium MK.

It should have been a great margin of victory, but Dons were wasteful in front of goal, having 27 shots on goal, though only four hit the target, the last of which came off Harrison's left boot as it stretched to reach Jack Payne's free-kick.

Jonathan Leko, making his first league start since November 11, made a good impression on the game during his 69 minutes, before he was replaced by Mo Eisa - another player lacking a lot of game time recently - who too looked a threat when he came on.

Speaking afterwards, Williamson praised the trio for their patience and their performances after a such little playing time lately.

"The boys who aren't getting as much game time deserve so much credit, because when they are called upon they produce games like that," he said. "I'm really pleased for Ellis, he's a huge character and influence on and off the pitch. But Mo came on and was fantastic as well, his energy and intensity were all there.

"All the subs made a difference, which is important, because when they're not playing, it's tough. It's a credit to them. Before the game, I asked the players whatever part they had to play today, to do it with energy and enthusiasm and everyone has done that.

"(Jonathan Leko) is a great lad with loads of energy. He's a joker in the pack, can create something from nothing. He had some really good moments, and was unlucky not to get a goal and a few assists. He comes into training with that same attitude, this is fantastic."

"We dominated every metric"

On the game, Williamson said he felt the first-half performance was the best he had seen from his side, despite the lack of a goal, adding: "At half-time, we said it was one of the best performances in 45 minutes that we've had since we arrived here. The control we had, the football we played and I think we dominated every metric except the scoreboard.

"It was imperative we stayed focused, and keep the concentration, and we believed it would come. Football has a funny way to come around and bite you in the backside, but we got our reward. I'm really pleased about the endeavour and the spirit.

"There were some fantastic blocks, some of the football we played was fantastic and on another day, we get two or three. But the control we had and the spirit to keep pushing, we always believed it would come.

"It's all credit to the boys. We try and help and support where we can, we try and get them to understand how we want them to play, but they have to go out there and produce. A lot of our wins have been down to the character in the boys and their never-say-die attitude."