MK Dons boss Liam Manning admitted his side were not good enough in the 2-0 loss to Bolton Wanderers and the penalty his side conceded was frustrating and tough to take.
Wanderers took the lead when Gethin Jones was brought down in the box by Dawson Devoy. Dion Charles stepped up to thump home from the penalty spot and give the Whites the advantage.
The visitors doubled their lead after the break when Jones rose highest to head home from Jack Iredale's free-kick. The win could have been by a greater margin but Wanderers picked up a valuable three points which sees them rise to fifth in the table.
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The Dons meanwhile are in the relgation zone. He candidly accepts his side was not good enough on the evening and did not respond to challenges well enough.
Asked if his side's performance had been good enough, Manning said: "No, ultimately, and the scoreline obviously reflects that. I didn't think there was much in it in the first-half. I thought we played some really good stuff at times without actually having the final bit.
"I thought the back and mid-third was okay. We showed more football than what we showed at Exeter but lacked a directness in the top-third, a lack of quality and ultimately gave away a penalty and that's the bit what hurts us.
"It's really frustrating and disappointing and it's a tough one to take.
"Confidence with the lads is understandably low because we've not been playing as we want to and not been getting the results we want to. With some of them, there's an edge to how they've played, a tension and sometimes that leads to a rashness, so it was hugely disappointing.
"I thought we came out at the start of the second half well. I thought the first eight to 10 minutes up to the goal, we came out and pressed better. We got on the front foot, we showed a bit more directness getting into their penalty box and the goal shifts the momentum massively.
"After that, we've got to be better in terms of how we react and respond and the fight that we show. It wasn't good enough."
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