MK Dons boss’ view of Portsmouth after of being held by 10 men

The MK Dons agonised over whether it was a point earned or two dropped, following the 1-1 draw at Stadium MK.

Pompey played the majority of the game with 10 men, after Joe Morrell’s 39th-minute dismissal. The home side cancelled out Connor Ogilvie’s opener through Mo Eisa in the 65th minute, but failed to press home their advantage. The result leaves MK Dons two places and three points clear of the relegation places.

When asked if it was a good point for his side, Jackson told the MK Citizen: ‘I'm wrestling with it at the moment. We've got to control our disappointment because going up against a team with ten-men for that amount of time, you'd expect to win. But we know how difficult that is. It's a good point though, a really good point, it keeps our run going.

‘We kept knocking at the door, created opportunities, but it's hard against ten men, and a good team who defended really well. Portsmouth are a strong team who had something to hold on to, and they're looking to push for the play-offs. They're fighting every minute of the way.

‘We made a slow start, and they controlled the game. We didn't play our normal game which was frustrating, but we started to come out of that towards the end of the first-half. And of course then it all changed with the red card and they changed their approach.’

Jackson afforded Pompey praise for the resolve they showed after being reduced to 10 men, but acknowledged his side should have done more with the possession they had.

He added: ‘The perception when you're playing ten men is that you'll automatically win, but nine times out of ten the defence is really hard to break down. Credit to Portsmouth for that, they were really strong defensively and defended their goal really well.

‘We could have asked more questions with the final pass, the ball in the box, things like that, but I was pleased with how we controlled those moments in the game. We forced it too much. We needed to be patient, have a good tempo but we forced it after the goal, then we came back into it. Portsmouth were going after it too then because they wanted the win, and we had to be careful of the counter-attacks which they nearly had.’