Mike Williamson described his side’s reaction as “phenomenal” after MK Dons came from behind to beat Salford.
The Dons took the lead in the first half thanks to Max Dean, but Salford turned the game on its head with a goal from Kelly Nmai and Ryan Watson’s penalty.
But MK Dons staged an incredible second-half comeback as Joe Tomlinson netted a brace before substitute Ellis Harrison fired home a fourth late on.
Dons head coach Williamson said: “I think the spirit the boys came out with in the second half, they were frustrated at half-time to say the least but the whole focus was on what we can control.
“In the first 15-20 minutes we controlled the game, scored the goal but then we came away from it a little bit and allowed the frustration to set in.
“They deserve massive credit, the reaction was phenomenal.
“Football is a simple game that can be complicated at times but when you’ve got that endeavour, desire, intensity and energy then it’s really hard for things not to drop for you.
“We’ve got to keep focusing on trying to shape everyone’s energy, intentions and preparation like they did second half.”
MK Dons needed big characters to step up after half-time and Tomlinson was the man to drag them back into the game with two stunning strikes.
Williamson added: “Joe is an unbelievable lad. He gives everything, he wants to cover every blade of grass and look at every area of improvement.
“He’s a real consummate pro and he deserves his reward.”
With just eight points from a possible 27 picked up at home this season, Salford have the third-worst home record in League Two behind Forest Green and Harrogate – both on seven.
Ammies head coach Neil Wood said: “Really frustrating and poor goals to give away. There’s no excuse for that.
“We came up against a good side going forward and the last thing you need to do is give them help in doing that. We did that really well for all their goals.
“It’s frustrating and they’ve got good players that put chances away.
“I’ve seen in a lot of games this season that there’s a lot of strong squads out there and they’re able to change things from the bench. We’ve not really had that.
“We’ve had a tough season through injuries, it’s not ideal. That was the only team we could have fielded, so whether you’re playing really well or bad you’re playing at the moment.
“We’ve got a young and very inexperienced bench and it’s really tough games to bring them into, throwing them in the deep end with not much experience.”
Venezuela 1-1 Brazil: Super sub Segovia holds Selecao to shock draw
Substitute Telasco Segovia delivered the pivotal goal that saw 10-man Venezuela hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
The shock result leaves Brazil in third place, trailing second-placed Colombia by two points and far short of Argentina in first.
Brazil opened the scoring just before half-time as Raphinha curled a delightful free-kick over the Venezuela wall from 20 yards out to break the deadlock.
On the other side of the break, however, half-time substitute Segovia equalised just 41 seconds after the restart, striking from outside the box, having run onto Jefferson Savarino’s short lay-off.
The visitors were provided with a prime opportunity to restore their lead when Rafael Romo fouled Vinicius Junior in the box. But the Real Madrid forward was unable to capitalise on the resulting penalty, seeing his initial effort saved before firing the rebound wide.
As tensions rose, the game delivered further drama as Alexander Gonzalez received his marching orders in the 89th minute for lashing out at Vinicius after fouling Gabriel Martinelli.
In a farcical ending to the lively affair, sprinklers popped up in the pitch in added time to delay proceedings, but neither side could find a way through.
Data Debrief: Instant impact for super sub Segovia
Segovia's goal, 41 seconds after coming on, is the fastest for a player coming off the bench in the last three editions of the South American World Cup Qualifiers.
Venezuela have now scored two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, only Brazil (four) and Colombia (four) have scored more in the 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers.
Kelleher repays Ireland trust in Finland victory
Republic of Ireland winger Mikey Johnston said the team had always trusted Caoimhin Kelleher after he made a crucial penalty save in their 1-0 Nations League win over Finland.
Johnston's corner set up Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson for the decisive goal on the stroke of half-time, after Finland had twice been denied by the woodwork.
The visitors had a golden chance to level in the second half, but Liverpool goalkeeper Kelleher made a stunning save to deny Joel Pohjanpalo from 12 yards following a handball from Ferguson.
The result means Finland are relegated from Group B2, while Ireland must come through a play-off to remain in the competition's second tier.
Speaking after the game, Johnston credited Kelleher's all-important penalty save, saying: "I always trust him to go and save a penalty. He has reacted really well and stepped up in a big moment.
"We were aiming for the win. They had moments but there were a few chances we could have taken as well.
"We're happy that we've come away with the win. Sometimes in the last year we would have been on the other side of a bit of bad luck."
Ireland round off their campaign against England on Sunday, in Lee Carsley's final game in charge of the Three Lions before Thomas Tuchel takes the reins in January.
France 0-0 Israel: Les Bleus advance despite frustrating Nations League draw
France advanced to the quarter-finals of the Nations League despite being held to a frustrating goalless draw by Israel at the Stade de France.
Israel picked up their first point in Group A2 by producing a stubborn defensive performance against a France team missing Kylian Mbappe following his omission by Didier Deschamps.
Daniel Peretz kept out Randal Kolo Muani and N'Golo Kante in the early stages as France dominated possession, before the visitors missed a glorious chance in the 37th minute.
Dor Turgeman flicked on a free-kick towards the far post, where Raz Shlomo just failed to get a decisive touch in front of a gaping goal.
Ibrahima Konate headed over the crossbar early in the second half, but clear-cut chances were few and far between for Deschamps' disjointed France side.
Their best opportunities to take three points came in stoppage time, but Marcus Thuram headed straight at Peretz before the Israel goalkeeper made a sprawling save to deny Christopher Nkunku right before the full-time whistle.
Despite their failure to find a winner, France secured safe passage to the last eight alongside Italy, with Israel remaining bottom of the group, three points behind Belgium.
Data Debrief: No Mbappe, no joy for France
Having left Mbappe out of their squad for the second successive international break, France struggled in front of goal despite dominating for long periods in Paris.
They fired off 24 shots worth 2.31 expected goals (xG) to Israel's three efforts worth 0.05 xG, hitting the target on eight occasions but failing to beat Peretz.
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