AFC Wimbledon players had lengthy dressing room debate after Rotherham reverse

AFC Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson has revealed that his players stayed behind at Plough Lane to discuss how they plan to resolve their current run of form after the 1-0 defeat to Rotherham United.

A 60th-minute strike from Joshua Kayode was the difference at Plough Lane on Tuesday night as top-of-the-table Rotherham condemned the Dons to their 12th straight game without a victory.

Wimbledon are just one point outside the bottom four and take on promotion chasers Sunderland at home tomorrow.

Speaking to the South London Press, Robinson said: “After I left, as I didn’t feel great, Rob [Tuvey] just messaged me at 23:00 saying that they were still there talking things through and discussing how they were going to get out of it.

“It’s great because I am massive on player ownership. Fundamentally, our job as coaches is to get them to a level where they take responsibility.”

When asked what he had learned about his side during the winless run, Robinson added: “You’re always learning about them – constantly.

“You’re always looking to see them develop and see who is going to step up to the mark and deliver that extra bit.

“[Against Rotherham], I felt as though I learnt certain things again. You have to just keep challenging them and keep looking for solutions.

“The mental side is huge. But the key thing that we have to tell ourselves is that it’s not a million miles away.

“Even against Rotherham, against a side who, if you look at them on any kind of stats in the league, they’re off the scale to anyone in what they do. They’re miles apart from anyone, even the sides who are at the top with them.

“First half, it was a really competitive game. Even though we weren’t great in the second half, something could have dropped for us – it wasn’t as though we were completely out of the game with no chance of getting any kind of result.

“We have to remember that we’re really competitive in every game that we play and have been literally all season. We have to keep working to make the results turn.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD