Mike Williamson hails second-half fightback as MK Dons beat Salford

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.”