Back-line gaffes rattle Dons boss

MUST DO BETTER . . . former Walsall defender Paul Downing (right) has come in for some criticism

SATURDAY'S trip North will come as a blessed relief for MK Dons and their manager Karl Robinson, who bemoaned defensive frailties as his side made it 10 games without a win on home soil.

Bury, claiming a fifth victory in succession, plundered a 3-1 triumph despite finding themselves up against it for much of the contest at Stadium MK.

The Dons, fresh from an emphatic 4-1 win at Fleetwood in which on-loan winger Ryan Colclough bagged a hat-trick, proved culpable at the back where a new-look centre-back pairing of ex-Walsall man Paul Downing and Joe Walsh - replacing outgoing duo Kyle McFadzean and Antony Kay - suffered mainly at the hands of James Vaughan, who netted twice for the upwardly mobile Shakers.

It is now one win in 90 minutes in all competitions in the last eight for a side relegated from the Championship last year.

CRITICISM

For Robinson, the performance of Downing in particular brought with it some individual criticism.

"He (Downing) came in in the summer to strengthen us, but he needs to be better than that," Robinson told the MK Citizen.

"It happened against Oxford and he got away with it, and he nearly did it at Fleetwood with Devante Cole.

"He has to learn from it if he wants to be a better player. He just had to do something with it. I can't think for him ­- all I can do is set us up to play against a team second in the division.

"Paul held his hands up for the opener, but what can we do about that? He owned up to his error. That's just an individual component."

The Dons hit both posts and spurned a host of chances against Bury, unlike at Fleetwood three days earlier when on-loan Wigan winger Colclough had such an impact.

"Ryan is some player and we've always had a class act winger here," Robinson said.

"He needs to learn so much about the game and hopefully he's a young player who we can develop.

"He's a real talent and he scores goals and there's many more to come."