'˜We can't keep playing catch-up' says Robinson

'We can't keep doing this,' said Dons boss Karl Robinson as he watched his side go behind again, clawing back from 3-0 down to lose 3-2 to Northampton on Sunday.
Karl Robinson. Pic: Lee ScrivenKarl Robinson. Pic: Lee Scriven
Karl Robinson. Pic: Lee Scriven

For the fifth time in nine games, Dons fell multiple goals down, shipping three inside 27 minutes to Northampton as everything they hit turned to goals. Harry Beautyman, Alex Revell and Matt Taylor fired the home side into an unassailable lead. Dean Bowditch pulled one back before half time, and Samir Carruthers netted in stoppage time but it was flattering to Dons, especially given a David Martin penalty save too.

The Dons boss admitted his side looked frail at the back, but felt his side were the better despite the scoreline.

“Defensively and in the centre of the park we looked very frail,” said Robinson.

“We’re always playing catch-up, but we almost do. We have to dig ourselves out of the mire. This is a team that isn’t quite gelling.

“We set up almost perfectly in the opening stages, but we turned down shooting opportunities in the attacking third. They had three shots and three goals. Millwall had two shots, two goals, Bradford, Peterborough.

“I’ve had a go at them for the defending, and some tactical areas we have to improve. But every error is compounded with a goal.

“If we were fragile and didn’t care, it could have been four, five or six. They tried and almost got back into the game, but we can’t keep giving teams the opportunity to score. We have to make sure we’re resolute, strong out of possession. But at times we looked too open and too expansive.

“But I felt we played really well at stages. We flashes crosses across the box, we dominated possession. We can’t wallow, we criticise ourselves. No-one comes away from here happy and thinking everything is fine.”

Despite the scoreline though, Robinson felt his side were the better of the two at Sixfields.

He added: “I don’t think we played badly, it’s just frustrating. We look like a good team, but we’re too open. We make the wrong decisions and it’s infuriating. The players are on the floor. I want it to hurt them for 24 hours.

“I’ve got faith in Nicky because he’s a goal-scorer. He will find form, Kieran Agard will find form too, but it has to come quicker. We have to be more dominant in the final third, but we lost, so it’s all a load of rubbish because the result is all we should care about. We keep making stupid errors.

“We have the players to do what’s right, but we need to be stronger in certain areas.”