Boss Kieran McKenna felt the Blues’ 1-0 victory away against the MK Dons was an important win for his side, Town’s first away win since mid-November backing up last week’s 4-0 defeat of Forest Green Rovers and moving them five points away from second-placed Plymouth Argyle.

Skipper Sam Morsy’s 26th-minute goal, his fourth of the season, was enough to claim the three points for Town.

“A really important win for us,” McKenna said. “Important that we backed up last week’s win, important that we won away from home, a couple of things we haven’t done for a while.

“An important result, a really good second-half performance. The first half was a bit more even. We did some good things, some things that we can improve on and I do think we’re still an improving team integrating new players as well.

“First half, a bit more even but the skip produced a big, big moment for us. And the second half was a really dominant and excellent performance really.”

McKenna felt his team saw out the latter stages with few moments of concern: “We didn’t have too many problems. I think anyone who was at the game that it should have been a bigger scoreline, we should have scored more goals and we need to be more clinical to kill the game.

“But on the other hand we’ve had some 4-0s, we’ve had some blow-outs and I think probably coming through a 1-0 away from home, a tight game where you have that bit of tension and anxiety at the end, where you get the feeling that if we do the right things it’ll be alright, to come through that might end up being more beneficial for us as a group.”

The Blues hadn’t won back-to-back league matches since October and McKenna says it was important to build on last week’s victory over bottom side Forest Green.

“We haven’t made a huge thing about it but it’s something that we’ve spoken about this week, especially coming off a 4-0 home game, as we had previously, to make sure we followed that through this week,” he continued.

“You can’t guarantee the result but you can guarantee certain things and we did that today.

“It gives us two wins in a row, a lot of games still to play and we need to stay focused now on next week.”

Regarding Morsy’s winning strike, he said: “Great goal, a really big moment from him. We need that, in the last 13 games we need our big players to step up at big moments and Samy’s led the way with that today. His interception, he drove forward and it was a great strike.

“It was a great captain’s goal. His performances probably go under the radar a little bit because he’s been so consistent all season in two different roles. He’s played with different partners, he’s flipped between them.

“When Lee [Evans] has been fit he’s been playing a certain role and he slots into another role and I think his consistency and his performance across the whole season probably goes under the radar but he drove us today like he does so many weeks.

“The goal epitomised him, it was a big moment from one of our big players and we’re going to need more of those for the next 13 games.

“He did it again in the second half where he drove and got a shot off and we could have got the second goal from that and I thought it was a really good all-round performance from him.”

The Northern Irishman was also delighted to record a third clean sheet in a row: “That’s important, that’s going to be the bedrock for us in the last 13 games and I think that’s partly why I was more calm after Bristol Rovers than some because when you go away from home and you get a clean sheet, it’s always something to build on.

“We’ve built on that, that’s now two clean sheets in a row away from home and we have to continue with that and that’s the responsibility of the whole team, as always.”

McKenna fielded an unchanged team for only the second time this season, although feels his selections have been more consistent for league matches.

“We’ve played an unchanged team the last three times we’ve won in the league,” he said. “That narrative is a bit off for me because we’ve had FA Cup games in between and we’ve rotated the team for those games, so it’s not that unusual for us.

“We look at it differently every game. We look at our team, our form, the opposition, who is going to be suitable for each game and we felt that was the right team for today and the boys did well and the subs who came on did well.”

The Blues manager felt striker George Hirst out in an impressive display: “He did, him and Freddie are both bang at it at the moment, to be fair, which is a really good place to be, both bringing good things to the team, both bringing slightly different things to the team, both bringing their attributes at different times. That’s a good place for us to be.”

Midfielder Massimo Luongo again did well having come off the bench at half-time, a switch which came earlier in the game than had been planned."

“He was always going to get maybe 30 minutes, we’re building him up and Cameron [Humphreys] has been playing terrifically,” he said.

“The tipping point was the yellow card just before half-time because they’ve got such good one-v-one players and dribblers through the middle of the pitch.

“Samy’s on nine yellows so he’s being controlled at the moment, so to have Cameron on a yellow as well, we didn’t want that, so we moved the substitution a little bit further forward than it probably would have been.”

McKenna had praise for the Blues’ 6,740-strong away support: “Brilliant, I’ve loved it, the couple of times we’ve come here.

“It started when we got off the bus really, I think that gave the players a big boost and they were fantastic all the way through the game and it gave us a big advantage and we’re just glad that we could get the away win for all the times they’ve been travelling and following us all year.”

The win and Argyle’s 5-2 loss at Peterborough saw Town move five points away from the second-placed Pilgrims.

While aware of that result, McKenna reiterated he’s not taking too much notice of the table.

“I’ve not been looking at it, to be honest,” he insisted. “I did hear the scoreline. We have to focus on ourselves. Of course, there are other teams in the driving seat, the pressure’s on them, we’ve probably been written off already by some for certain positions, so we’ve just stayed focused on us all the way through.

“Let the other ones worry about the pressure and where they are, we’ll just take it game by game.”

The Blues next have back-to-back home games against Burton and Accrington Stanley, matches which give Town a good chance to continue their winning run.

“To have two at home is something we’ve got to attack,” McKenna continued. “We have to be pleased tonight but come in next week, look at the things we can improve and be hungry to go again next week.”

Photo: TWTD

Suffolkboy added 18:51 - Feb 25 Very obviously still wants more and better , but his analysis of both the game and the overall situation is faultless ! The ITFC progress is relentless ,the margins sometimes finer than we'd want ,but what a great time we are at last having again supporting a Club now going places ,under super management ! COYB
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Miaow added 19:02 - Feb 25 An important win. Let's hope this mini run of three wins (including back-to-back away victories) and three-and-a-half games without conceding can be a little bit of a catalyst for us. We have to win the next two at home, and they both pose an opportunity to potentially score a few goals, before those matches against those around us. Plymouth getting well beaten can't hurt, and we need to do everything we can to try and get that second place (I think Sheffield Wednesday will end up top).

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ImAbeliever added 19:14 - Feb 25 I believe, still, that this guy is top drawer.
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Nomore4 added 19:47 - Feb 25 Minimum 12 points from next 6 games should keep us in the top 2 battle.
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Bazza8564 added 19:53 - Feb 25 There were lots of positives from today and a few disappointments, we got picked off down our left too often first half and we didnt move the ball quickly enough going forward. BUT, we won, our fitness really showed up in the second half and we could easily have had 4 on another day. The fans got the win they (we) deserved and its been a good journey back. Interesting that MKD didnt publish the attendance........

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warfarinman69 added 20:58 - Feb 25 Sorry I'm a believer didn't mean to mark you down. Agree with you 100%
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ArnieM added 21:36 - Feb 25 Well played Sam Morsy. Simply immense today, and a true captains performance from him. Broadhead, not one of his better games, ( how did he miss that absolutely sitter). Hirst …hmmm he's starting to look good I think. But I do ask the question , why do we make these games look so difficult to win? MKD had lost two recent games 5-0, yet we get one goal, eventually, then there's always that feeling , we're going to let this slip with an unforced defensive error, alway that nagging Doubt, isn't there! Anyway, 3 VERY valuable points today as the wheels hopefully are starting to come off Plymouths season. I hope the psychology is starting to turn against them now. I've taken a real dislike to them, for their apparent arrogance as the season has progressed, So I hope they cock it up spectacularly over the remaining games now . COYBs 💙👍

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Northstandveteran added 23:21 - Feb 25 I have read a few posts from Plymouth fans along the lines of, "Here we go again!" Which to be fair, I think the majority of town fans had been feeling of late. I wonder how we would have reacted or felt after a 5-2 away defeat? Anyway. If the next two games are won and Plymouth continue to bump, we have a chance of getting back in amongst it. And that's always a big if in town's case of late. It's possible. It will require us to be in the form that we were in when we won the league in October. Again. ( That sliding on there knees with Lambert was the biggest motivation any away team needed! ) Just don't be surprised if, and possibly when we don't. The reality is that we have beaten two of the poorest teams in the division. The third division. Some interesting opinions from the above posts I thought. I shall continue, for now, with my usual thought, if just for my own sanity. Expect the worst. Then you won't be disappointed.

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Northstandveteran added 23:23 - Feb 25 Their knees. It's late. And I've had a good night!
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blues1 added 08:35 - Feb 26 ArnieM. Tbe broadgesd chance wasn't actually a sitter. Was right behind thr goal, and when the ball came to him from the keepers save he was stretching to get to the ball. So couldn't get over the ball, hence hit it over the bar. Can see how it would have looked easier to some, than it actually was depending on where u sitting
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Nomore4 added 11:28 - Feb 26 Blues 1. I streamed the game and have seen highlights on various platforms since. The Broadhead chance was a sitter wherever viewed from. Lost count of town players throughout the season who have missed these sitters. Has cost us when going for wins all season, the 12 drawn games reflect this.
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SussexTractor added 20:42 - Feb 27 Last away win (before beating a team at the bottom end of the table this week) was November - that's why we aren't in the automatic promotion places.
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