Mike Williamson saw plenty to give him a lift despite losing his opening match as MK Dons head coach to promotion-chasing Accrington 1-0.
Shaun Whalley struck in the 31st minute, making space for himself in the area and firing into the roof of the net for the winning goal which moved Stanley into the play-off places.
It made it three successive League Two wins for the Reds while it is now nine games without a win for the Dons, who appointed former Gateshead boss Williamson four days ago after sacking Graham Alexander.
Top scorer Mo Eisa had three good chances while Max Dean fired narrowly wide in the second half for the visitors but goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray was also superb in stopping Whalley getting a second.
MK Dons dropped to 18th place after being top at the end of August.
“I saw a lot of positives, a lot of character and a lot of individual strengths even though the result is difficult to take,” said Williamson.
“We have only had two training sessions so minimal time to get our points across and there are things to iron out but we have a group of lads in there who want to win.
“You can sense the frustration with the way it’s gone recently, we missed two or three chances early on and that increases the frustration but for us it’s getting them to understand the process.
“The group in there are doing a lot of talking after the game, there are a lot of strong characters and they will bring the disappointed lads through.
“I am happy to be here and there is a lot of encouragement for me and the boys.”
Stanley are now seventh in the table on 23 points, three away from the automatic promotion places.
Manager John Coleman said: “I am delighted with the win. We started off shakily and then got to grips with the game.
“It was probably our best performance of the season in terms of playing consistently the way we want to play.
“It has been a nightmare week, we have a plan to play against a new manager and had to do analysis on two teams – MK Dons and Gateshead – which wasn’t ideal and assistant manager Jimmy Bell’s laptop broke!
“I think Mike will get it right, he plays the style of football they want and you could see if in flashes, and they will only get better.
“But we stuck to our game plan brilliantly and we made plenty of chances and that’s back-to-back clean sheets.
“You can’t fault any of our players but I am not getting carried away. You can easily go on a bad run as a good run.
“But once you are on a good run, it gets easier. We found that last time when we won this league. Saying that, every team who is on a good run will feel that they have a big chance to have a say in this league.”
Bayer Leverkusen 5-2 Heidenheim: Hat-trick hero Schick inspires five-star comeback
A hat-trick from Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick inspired the Bundesliga champions to come from two goals down to beat Heidenheim 5-2 on Saturday.
The emphatic triumph saw Xabi Alonso's side extend their unbeaten league run to nine matches, moving them up to fourth but still nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
However, Leverkusen found themselves behind inside the opening 10 minutes when Niklas Dorsch was teed up by Marvin Pieringer inside the box.
Heidenheim doubled their advantage soon after through Mathias Honsak, who danced his way beyond three defenders before finishing into the bottom left corner.
But two goals in two minutes from Exequiel Palacios and Schick drew the hosts level, with Leverkusen able to take a hold of the contest after the interval.
Schick notched his second of the game seven minutes after the restart to put Leverkusen ahead when he brilliantly flicked Florian Wirtz's cross beyond Kevin Muller.
The Czech striker completed his hat-trick with a header in the 71st minute, with Granit Xhaka sealing the win with a curled finish into the far left corner.
Data Debrief: Patrik hero
Ahead of kick-off, Leverkusen were dealt a huge injury blow with in-form striker Victor Boniface potentially ruled out until next year, but they needn't have worried.
Schick grasped his opportunity with both hands, putting on an impressive display and ending the game with more shots on target (four) and more touches in the opposition box (13), while also accumulating a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.37 to Leverkusen's 2.05 total.
He has now scored three or more goals in a Bundesliga game on three occasions for Leverkusen, with only Ulf Kirsten (seven) having done so more times for the club.
Fulham 1-4 Wolves: Classy Cunha stuns Craven Cottage
Matheus Cunha scored two goals and assisted one as Wolves stunned Fulham with a 4-1 victory at Craven Cottage, making it back-to-back Premier League wins for the visitors.
Alex Iwobi's fantastic long-range curler put Fulham ahead in the 19th minute but Cunha – a bright spark in a so far demoralising season for Gary O'Neil's men – poked home a 31st-minute equaliser.
Cunha turned provider as Joao Gomes put Wolves ahead early in the second half, with the Brazilian duo later trading roles when Cunha added his second with an astonishing finish from the edge of the box.
Fulham were forced to finish the game with 10 men due to Joachim Andersen sustaining an injury after they had used all their substitutes, and Goncalo Guedes came off the bench to add a fourth for Wolves.
The victory lifts them outside the relegation zone on nine points, while Fulham drop two places to ninth, four adrift of the top four.
Data Debrief: Clutch Cunha ready to lead Wolves' survival push
Cunha will justifiably grab the headlines in the coming days after a superb all-round display at Craven Cottage. His opening goal calmed the visitors' nerves before the break as a deft touch and finish ensured the away side went in level.
However, his link-up play in the second half really caught the eye, with a sharp pass to tee up Gomes and a late goal that took the game away from Fulham.
A debate between which of his two goals was better underlines just how impressive he was against Marco Silva's team. He has a total of 10 direct Premier League goal contributions so far this season (seven goals, three assists), meaning he has been involved in half of Wolves' strikes.
He also has 26 goal involvements in his last 29 Premier League starts, scoring 17 and assisting nine. If Wolves are to survive, he will hold the key.
Bournemouth 1-2 Brighton: Ten-man Seagulls hold out to end Cherries' home streak
Ten-man Brighton maintained the pressure on the Premier League’s top four by holding out for a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.
The Seagulls scored early in both halves, with goals from Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma sealing the points at the Vitality Stadium.
Just four minutes had elapsed when Joao Pedro put Fabian Hurzeler’s side in front, tucking away the rebound after Kepa Arrizabalaga could only parry Georginio Rutter's fierce drive.
The Brazilian then turned provider in the 49th minute with a delightful throughball to release Mitoma, who slotted home.
Brighton had to play the final half an hour with a numerical disadvantage after Carlos Baleba was sent off for a second bookable offence, and Bournemouth pulled one back in stoppage time through David Brooks.
Antoine Semenyo then rattled the crossbar with the final kick of the game, as the visitors just about held on to move level on points again with Chelsea and Arsenal, who they trail on goal difference.
Data Debrief: Buoyant Brighton build on momentum
Having come from behind to beat reigning champions Manchester City before the international break, Brighton built on that momentum to prevent Bournemouth from winning four successive Premier League home games for the first time in their history.
Joao Pedro played a starring role once more with another goal and assist, meaning he has now been directly involved in eight goals in his last nine league appearances.
The Seagulls have now collected 13 points since the start of October, with no other side registering more during that time.
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