Neilson praises O'Keefe's high standards after Coventry win

O'Keefe, on loan from Cardiff City, scored his second since joining in January six minutes into the second half to secure Dons' first win in eight, edging them six points away from the relegation zone in the process.

Bottom club Coventry failed to really make an imprint on the game, though David Martin made a key stop from Ruben Lameiras with 20 minutes to go, but in truth it was a routine victory for Neilson's side.

And the manager felt O'Keefe, who had been employed as a full-back in the 2-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon in the week, was the stand-out man on the pitch for his side.

"Stuart was very good today. He has a lot of experience at higher levels. He has high standards, and you can see that out on the training pitch and on the field. I thought, today, he led the team, bursting forward and was pleased to see him get his goal.

"The goal settled us but we weren't able to build on it. I wouldn't say it was a cruise, because you're always a split second away from a goal, but we're in a situation where we're still tentative when we take the lead in games."

Despite Dons' dominance, it was far from a classic at Stadium MK. City, cast adrift at the bottom of League 1, barely threatened though they had keeper Lee Burge to thank for keeping them in it at the break, with saves from George Williams, Ben Reeves and O'Keefe.

But with both sides fighting for League 1 survival, Neilson said the game was never going to be a pretty one.

He said: "At this stage in the season, a lot of games will be like that. I watched Port Vale and Shrewsbury last night and it was similar - the tension and the pressure was there for both sides to get three points, and neither want to lose the game. Coventry are having tough times on and off the pitch, and came here to get the minimum of a point. I thought we dominated, did everything but score a goal, created chances but nothing really clear-cut. You could feel the tension building.

"It was one-sided but until you get the first goal, second goal or even the third goal, you're always under pressure. We were playing a team with nothing to lose. Even when we scored, they brought on an attacking player to try and go gung-ho. They had a few shots out but we saw it out.

"I wouldn't say it was a cruise, because you're always a split second away from a goal, but we're in a situation where we're still tentative when we take the lead in games."