MK Dons boss Paul Warne: That was as good an away day as we’ve had all season

MK Dons boss Paul Warne hailed his side’s best away display of the campaign so far following their 4-0 triumph at Bristol Rovers.

A first-half own goal by Rovers captain Alfie Kilgour was added to in the last 10 minutes by Laurence Maguire’s glancing header, a drilled low shot from Alex Gilbey and a smart finish from substitute Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.

And Warne pointed to his strength in depth as being significant to his side’s third straight League Two victory that lifted them up to fourth.

“I wasn’t 100 per cent happy in truth, I thought first half we wasted opportunities and we could have made life easier for ourselves,” he said.

“Once you get the second goal it helps. Once we did and the subs I could make…bringing on Dan (Crowley), Rush (Hepburn-Murphy), Leks (Jonathan Leko), Nath (Nathan Thompson) and Kane (Thompson-Sommers)… I am blessed and that is the joy when people start coming back from injury.

“We looked stronger on the pitch but we’ve got it off the bench. That was as good an away performance as we’ve had all season.”

Warne was especially happy given Darrell Clarke’s Rovers had won their last four league matches at home.

He added: “I know how hard it is to play Darrell’s teams. They’re well coached, well motivated, so it’s a really good win.

“Over the last four or five games they are second or third on form so we knew it would be really difficult.”

Clarke chalked it off as a bad day at the office and vowed to regroup on the training pitch before Rovers host Tranmere at the Memorial Stadium next Saturday.

The Gas created little during the match bar Ellis Harrison threatening from two corners, and Kilgour and Kacper Lopata having shots from long range blocked.

Clarke emphasised that the manner of defeat was unacceptable, as Rovers lost back-to-back league games.

“It was a shocking day for us,” he said. “Some of the goals we gave away were very, very poor with a couple of own goals in there.

“I think it’s key that when we’ve had such a disappointing afternoon, that we get back on the grass as quickly as we possibly can to put those things right.

“Words are cheap after a performance like that, I just think we were miles off it with and without the ball – I need to look into that to see why that was the case, but I also don’t want this to derail what has been a good base so far.

“I’ve been saying it week in, week out, but there’s a lot of work to be done with the group. And sometimes you get a day like this where you’ve got to take your medicine and regroup.”