Defenders thoughts after MK Dons defeat
Shrewsbury Town slipped to a 2-1 away loss as MK Dons came out on top at Stadium mk.Early goals from Kieron Agard and Paul Downing were enough to take the three points for the Dons despite a late consolation strike from Stephen Humphrys.
Jack Grimmer returned to the side after a lengthy spell out with an ankle injury and he spoke to the press after the match.
“We didn’t start the game as well as we should have,” he said.
“We’re disappointed – it got a bit better in the second half – but it couldn’t have got much worse than the first half.
“We just didn’t pass the ball as well as we normally can – and even though we had a few chances but we couldn’t find the finish.”
Agard and Downing’s goals meant Town found themselves 2-0 down after just 11 minutes – an unusual sight for Hurst’s side who have been strong defensively since his arrival.
“Paul’s always on about keeping the standards high – and to be fair to the boys they’ve done that – and they’ve been on a fantastic run.
“MK have got some good players so any mistakes are always going to be punished if you’re not at it.”
“They caught us on the break numerous times in the second half – when you’re trying to score and get back in the game you have to leave yourself open – but saying that we did score we just left it a bit late.”
Humphrys goal was his second for the club since arriving on loan from Fulham in January, and just after he scored there were strong claims for a penalty from Town.
“I thought it was a penalty,” Grimmer admitted.
“I was very surprised when it wasn’t – I think everyone was. Stephen said he went to protect the ball and the guy’s just pushed him in the back and knocked him over.
“The Gaffer’s said he’s tired of blaming the officials – so in the future we need to go out there and get the result ourselves.”
With Joe Riley picking up an injury last time out Paul Hurst’s decision to bring Grimmer back into the starting XI was made easy.
“It was great to be back out there with the boys – I’ve really missed playing. I was back on the bench against Peterborough and I was buzzing to be involved.
“I get on really well with Joe so I’ll be the first to praise him and I would be saying he’ll be playing every week if it wasn’t my position – it’s a battle that will both keep us on our toes.”
Town’s next game sees them welcome 14th placed Charlton Athletic to the Greenhous Meadow – after this loss Town slip to 18th – four points clear of the relegation zone.
“I would say every game is important – the teams around us are picking up points all the time as well.”
“Everyone’s keeping everyone in it – at this stage of the season every game’s vital – because we don’t want to be scrapping towards the end of the season.”