‘I think it's in my top five moments at the club’ - MK Dons veteran salutes dominant victory against Portsmouth

The veteran defender only took charge of the Dons on a temporary basis on Sunday after Liam Manning was dismissed following their 2-1 defeat to Fleetwood last week.

The 38-year-old has made more than 700 outings during his time at Stadium MK, which has included victories over Manchester United as well as reaching the Championship.

But in his second game in the dugout for MK, he guided his outfit to a 2-0 win over Danny Cowley’s men at Fratton Park.

And the interim boss insists the three points on the south coast on Saturday was one of his highlights of his career to date.

He told MK Citizen: ‘I think it's in my top five moments at the club.

‘I'm so proud of the players. Portsmouth is a hard place to come, and where we are in the league, it's a proud moment. I'm proud of everyone for getting that win.

‘We've not won for a long time, so it was good to hear some music in the dressing room, a bit of positivity about the place.

‘It's only one win, it's the start of it, and whoever comes in can build on it to get us up that table.

‘I've really enjoyed it. Everyone wants me to do well here, and the boys have been fantastic, putting in that shift today. I still much prefer playing.

‘I've had three games in charge and had about three heart attacks in that time - I don't think I'd make 40 if I became a manager. I've enjoyed it, appreciated the help but for me, I want to be a player and coach!’

MK Dons have had a tough start to the League One season as the sit in the drop zone despite finishing in the play-offs last term.

But with the victory moving Lewington’s side closer to safety, the interim boss insisted it was a vital three points in their relegation scrap.

He added: ‘I'm thrilled with the three points. We started okay, they had a couple of shots but they were comfortable for Jamie but after that we settled and played well.

‘We were solid, compact and made like hard for Portsmouth, so when our chances came, we took them.

‘Being in touching distance is massive - you don't want to be two results away from safety.

‘We need to put down a marker now, not many people expected us to get a result here today so to get the win is massive for us. It shows we're alive and fighting.’