Back to basics after debacle

Date published: 19 December 2014


THE GLOVES ARE OFF

EMBARRASSING is an appropriate word to use to describe last weekend’s 4-0 defeat to Yeovil.

On a personal level, having watched it back on video as well as from the dug-out on Saturday, it was extremely frustrating, too.

Not being able to affect the game at all meant that it was something of a double-whammy.

We have been through a lot as a team this season and I consider myself to be among that core group of players.

We have evolved, but didn’t show that to be the case in the last game.

It has really affected the squad. Now, though, the challenge for us is to provide a response at MK Dons tomorrow.

I believe we have got a lot about us this season. So the Yeovil game has to form part of a learning curve.

The talk earlier in the campaign was about unbeaten runs. But it isn’t always simply about not losing — it’s as much about bouncing back up off the canvas when you do experience a setback.

Some have pointed to the loss of certain individuals like Liam Kelly and Jonathan Forte and, of course, these are key players for us.

But as a team and a squad we all need to do our part and it was especially frustrating that we didn’t manage to do that against Yeovil.

On Tuesday, to break up the gap between games — Saturday to the following Saturday feels an awful long time when you have been beaten 4-0 — we went to Manchester City’s new £200million campus to play a friendly against their under-21 side.

No disrespect to Chapel Road intended, but it was a different world. You could see where all that money went.

The game itself was a good test for us as well, against the sort of team who play in a style similar to MK Dons.

We lost 2-1, having drawn level with a goal from a trialist just before half-time, but it was a useful session for us.

There won’t be any excuses tomorrow. The time has gone to feel sorry for ourselves and we need to get it all out of our system at Stadium mk.

The idea is to get in their faces, do the basics right and allow our quality to come through.

That’s been the route to success so far this season and it will be the same in future as well.