MK Dons manager Mike Williamson is encouraged by how his players found a way to defeat Crawley 2-0 despite not being at their best for long periods of the game.
The Dons’ superb turnaround in fortunes since Williamson’s appointment in October continued as they recorded their fourth win in a row to move up to sixth in League Two.
They are also unbeaten in nine league games, although they sometimes rode their luck against Town and needed goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray to make several important saves after Joe Tomlinson’s early opener.
Williamson said: “He was excellent tonight. In previous games he’s done really well and tonight he was called upon more than we would have liked, but that’s what we need.
“We need players to step up and in games that aren’t so lively, they’ll do what they need to do, but when it comes to games like tonight, he was tested and he came through.
“[Getting the result tonight] is huge, a real testament to them and it’s a sign of a good team that when we’re not at our best we still find the way.
“I think the quality was there to see when we did dominate the ball and the territory, but we had to suffer and I think the boys dealt with that well.
“I think we could have had a few more, looking back, but with the whole thing taken into context we’re more than happy to take that result.”
MK Dons led after just two minutes when Max Dean’s superb pass put Tomlinson through and he finished confidently beyond Crawley goalkeeper Corey Addai.
The result was finally settled with eight minutes left when Alex Gilbey’s shot found the net via the post before Crawley defender Laurence Maguire was sent off for a second booking late on.
Crawley boss Scott Lindsey said: “I thought we played so, so well. The effort the lads put in was incredible.
“We’ve had illness through the camp, the coaching staff are ill and Nick Tsaroulla was prepared to play but fell ill and didn’t travel, so we had to make changes before the game.
“But the effort the players put into that game tonight was outstanding, the way we passed the ball, the way we pressed.
“The chances, we get into that final third and it’s just that last bit where we can definitely improve on.
“We got into that final area brilliantly, but then we sometimes tried to walk the ball over the line when I think we can pull the trigger and shoot and if the keeper spills it, someone else is there to tap it in.
“I think we can be a little more aggressive when we get in there.”
Orlando City 1-0 Atlanta United: Enrique strike sets up Red Bulls clash
Atlanta United beat Inter Miami in the first round of the MLS playoffs, yet their postseason came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Orlando City.
The Five Stripes went into Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal at Inter&Co Stadium full of confidence after ditching Lionel Messi and the rest of Miami's stars out of the playoffs last time out.
Yet it was Orlando who, for the first time in club history, booked their place in the Eastern Conference finals thanks to Ramiro Enrique's 39th-minute winner.
Enrique tucked in from close range after Atlanta failed to clear their lines from a corner.
That goal came after Orlando had started brightly, with Dagur Thorhallsson hitting the woodwork early on before Facundo Torres saw an effort cleared off the line.
Buoyed by a fine record against Orlando, who they had lost to just four times in 22 meetings ahead of this contest, Atlanta pressed for an equaliser after the break, but they could not find a way through a robust Lions defence.
Orlando will now host the New York Red Bulls in next week's Eastern Conference final, with a place in the MLS Cup final on the line.
Data Debrief: Stay away from the Lions' den
Fresh from the Orlando Pride's victory in the National Women's Soccer League on Saturday, Orlando had plenty to live up to if they wanted to cap a great sporting weekend for the city.
And they did just that, with the backing of a vociferous crowd that helped them get over the line. Those fans will be called on again next week when the Red Bulls roll into town, but Orlando need not fear. They have lost only one of their last 14 home matches in all competitions (W9 D4 including two penalty shootout wins and one penalty shootout loss).
And while Atlanta huffed and puffed, they never really threatened to blow the door down, as Orlando limited them to just eight shots, with none of those hitting the target.
Indeed, Orlando had openings on the counter and could have put the match to bed with a bit more composure, as they finished with 1.3 expected goals to Atlanta's 0.4 xG.
Conte: Napoli need to focus on improvement, not Serie A lead
Napoli should pay little attention to their place at the top of Serie A, so says Antonio Conte, who has demanded improvement from his team.
Romelu Lukaku's second-half goal handed Napoli a 1-0 win over Roma on Sunday.
That victory sent Napoli back to the summit of Serie A, with Conte's side one point ahead of Atalanta, Inter, Fiorentina and Lazio, while Juventus are only four points back in a six-team title race.
Napoli needed to get back to winning ways after a draw against Inter and a 3-0 loss to Atalanta before the international break, and Conte insists his team must sharpen up.
"Before the match, I told the lads not to look at the table, but to focus on ourselves and improving what we are working on," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
"I maintain that now too because we need to take a series of steps to raise the level.
"I was satisfied with the performance for a good 65 minutes today, we could’ve taken more of our chances and were up against a strong Roma who have great players.
"Roma were also making their debut under a new coach and therefore were very eager to prove themselves, but we still should've dealt with the final 15-20 minutes better, as we sat too deep and made it complicated for ourselves."
Roma, playing under new boss Claudio Ranieri, came close to equalising when Artem Dovbyk hit the woodwork with a header.
Ranieri came out of retirement to take charge of Roma following Ivan Juric's dismissal earlier in November, though the visitors had just six shots and accumulated only 0.6 expected goals (xG) at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
"If we look back, we have some problems and that is why I was called. We were up against a team that is fighting to win the Scudetto," Ranieri told Sky Sport Italia.
"Having said all of that, I am happy with the performance from my players. We made some mistakes that we will talk about during the week, but the hunger, the determination to get back on track was there.
"We have a lot of work to do, but I feel positive.
"We know there is work to be done, we have to focus on reacting rather than sitting there feeling sorry for ourselves.
"The [players] need the right character to help themselves and then others. Naturally, when I arrived, the team was a little closed up, but I think we started to open up a bit by the second half."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
