Robinson rocket is the ticket for Samir
SAMIR Carruthers’ superb equaliser inspired MK Dons to a second-half comeback against Oldham and it appears to be down to a half-time rollicking he received from manager Karl Robinson.
The Dons were anaemic in the first half and were fortunate to not trail by more than Adam Lockwood’s opener at the break.
But Carruthers lifted his side’s spirits when it mattered most with the points eventually being snatched by Ben Reeves in the second minute of stoppage time to renew their play-off hopes.
Robinson said:“I had a bit of a go at Samir at half-time – I just felt he was poor by his standards - and I said to him if he wants to be a good player then he needs to score goals and shoved one right up me there!
“It’s great to win games like that - there’s nothing like it for the fans or the professionals as well.
“Instead of worrying about getting in the playoffs, our mindset at the moment is to worry about the next game against Preston and then the game after that.”
It took 35 minutes before a chance of any note materialised as a through ball sent Jon Stead clear, but after rounding David Martin his shot was cleared off the line by Lee Hodson.
However, Oldham took the lead two minutes later when Gary Harkins' chipped cross from the left was flicked into the far corner by the head of Adam Lockwood.
But Carruthers gave his side a lift they desperately needed with a brilliant individual goal when he rode two challenges and side-stepped a third before finishing into the bottom corner.
Reeves then struck a post with a low drive from the corner of the box before Oldham were reduced to ten-men when Genseric Kusunga was shown a second yellow card for fouling Stephen Gleeson. And just when it looked as if the Dons would have to settle for a point, Reeves pounced when Mark Oxley could only push Carruthers’ cross into his path.
Oldham boss Lee Johnson was annoyed by Kusunga’s red card, saying: “In hindsight I could have taken him off but he’s let the team down.
“Fair play to him, he stood up and apologised to the lads but through some real dopiness, really, he’s allowed to get himself sent off.
“Probably, people could see it coming and even we could but you expect someone who has played in the Champions League to be sensible enough not to make a rash challenge like he did.
“The result is a real gut-wrencher because the boys were fantastic.”