Injuries forced changes - boss

Photo: Picture: ALAN HOWARTH

RAY OF HOPE . . . Charlie MacDonald reduces Athletic’s arrears in the second half, but an equaliser wasn’t to be.

LEE Johnson defended his decision to tinker with a winning line-up last night after Athletic’s miserable home defeat.

George Baldock and Izale McLeod scored for MK Dons in a first half in which the hosts fell apart despite the buzz generated by taking three points at Gillingham on Saturday.

Charlie MacDonald headed home from a corner shortly before the hour as Johnson’s men at least responded to a triple half-time substitution.

Johnson denied the move was an admission of mistakes in the opening line-up: “I didn’t play Carl Winchester because he can’t make 90 minutes at the moment, for whatever reason,” said a frustrated Johnson after a sixth home defeat of the season.

“Obviously, it didn’t work. We brought him on and I thought he did all right, to be honest.

“With David Worrall, again we have to go easy on him. At the moment he can only play two games in seven days.”

The Dons’ opening goal arrived after only three minutes — and was the second time Latics goalkeeper Mark Oxley had been troubled by Dons.

Johnson was unequivocal that his team’s performance wasn’t good enough: “The first half we couldn’t pass the ball and couldn’t control it. We didn’t play to our system and game plan. We didn’t do anything.

It was horrible to watch.

“We made the three subs at half-time which had to be done. All three affected the game but it was too little, too late.”



CARL Winchester and Kirk Millar have been called up to Northern Ireland’s under-21s squad, while James Wilson is on standby for the full Wales international side.

Winchester and Millar are vying for spots in the team to play Italy on Wednesday, March 5. Wilson is on stand-by for his country’s home friendly with Iceland on the same date at the Cardiff City Stadium.