Robinson fuming despite MK rise

KARL ROBINSON is adamant his MK Dons side will improve after a “poor” performance in this win over Rochdale.

Scott Wootton’s header deep into stoppage time on his Dons debut stole three points after Dale keeper Conrad Logan had saved Ben Reeves’ penalty.

And Robinson highlighted his side’s defensive qualities after their second clean sheet of the campaign.

“We are going to get better, I keep saying that,” he said. “People will see where Rochdale are in the league and will start making assumptions that we should be walking this game and that’s not the case. We performed very, very poorly. We looked disconnected, we looked unorganised.

“But then when you’re that bad it comes down to something that I can’t give a player and that’s a belief within yourself, that you’ve got to put your body on the line, to make every tackle.

“When it’s not working and it’s not fluent, every tackle and every header, every defensive movement has to be right.”

The game sparked into life on the hour when Daniel Powell found Nicky Maynard and he fired at Logan on the turn. The keeper spread himself well, denying the striker again on 74 minutes.

Jim McNulty’s foul on Reeves led to a penalty, but Logan came to the rescue with his legs after the substitute drilled the 78th-minute effort down the middle.

Donal McDemott’s fierce shot in the 84th minute was headed toward goal by Ian Henderson, but David Martin was equal to it and the loose ball crept over the bar.

Logan twice came to Dale’s aid after parrying Powell’s 88th-minute curling effort and Kabongo Tshimanga’s rebound. But the Dons nicked it after Ed Upson’s curling free-kick to the back post was headed home by an unmarked Wootton.

“I am gobsmacked,” said Dale boss Keith Hill. “We did more than enough for at least a point and to throw the game away in the manner that we did at the end, it just stinks of a lack of concentration and discipline.

“A free header in the 94th minute, it’s not acceptable and I find it very difficult when we don’t get anything out of games like that because we definitely deserved something out of the game.

“I’m stood here talking about us not getting something from a game that we should have got something from and we have to get rid of that naivety.”