DONS CAN’T HALT STEELY UWE’S RUN
FLEETWOOD boss Uwe Rosler admitted he mentioned his side’s impressive unbeaten league run for the first time after this win at MK Dons.
In a three-month spell that has seen the Cod Army consolidate their position in the League One play-off places, Rosler’s side have now not lost in 16 games.
Cian Bolger’s fifth goal of the season midway through the second half secured all three points for the high-flyers, who also ended the Dons’ own unbeaten run at home that stretched back to Boxing Day under boss Robbie Neilson.
“I told the squad before the game that we should not be taking much notice of where MK Dons are in the league,” admitted Rosler. “They are in a false position.
“It was a massively difficult game for us and I’m pleased that we have come away with three points. Now we can come away from here with a sense of satisfaction and achievement.
“I was talking for the first time about keeping the run going because I would have taken a point. This was the first time in a while that I talked about the run, because in previous games I talked about our performances instead.”
The hosts started brightly and were the first to go close through Leicester loannee Harvey Barnes inside 14 minutes, whose right-footed effort from the edge of the Fleetwood box smacked off the crossbar, before Chuks Aneke’s header flew inches wide.
It took Fleetwood until the second half to fashion their first meaningful chance of the game when Cameron Brannagan’s corner found Ashley Eastham at the near post, whose close-range header was cleared off the line by MK defender George Baldock.
And the Cod Army forced the Dons into yet another goal-line clearance six minutes later as the promotion-chasers cranked up the pressure, before Bolger headed home his fifth goal of the season from George Glendon’s corner just past the hour mark.
“It was really disappointing,” conceded Neilson, who took charge of MK in December.
“We had a lot of possession but we weren’t ruthless enough and weren’t aggressive enough.
“We played a lot across the back and midfield but didn’t take the opportunities to put them under pressure.
“We just went soft at a corner. They’ve got a defender who is 6ft 5in who they can aim at.
“That has been their game plan all season; staying tight and compact and hitting on the counter. We knew that, and we had to make sure they didn’t do it. For a team that’s sitting third in the league, they didn’t cause us any problems. We just weren’t aggressive enough with the ball.” MK: (4-1-4-1): Martin 7, Baldock 6, Downing 7, Williams 7, Tilney 7, Potter 7, Bowditch 5 (Muirhead 87), Aneke 6, O’Keefe 6 (Agard 78, 5), Barnes 7, Maynard 5 (Ngombo 62, 5) Subs not used: Nicholls, Lewington, Powell, Brittain FLEETWOOD: (3-5-2): Cairns 7, Eastham 7, Bolger 7, Davies 6, McLaughlin 6 (Epkolo 65, 5), Glendon 7, Dempsey 7, Grant 7, Bell 6, Cole 6 (Hunter 74, 5), Brannagan 7 (Ball 53, 5) Subs not used: Neal, Davis, Nirennold, Schwabl