Dons boss clears up any doubt over lengthy dressing room debrief following Cambridge loss

Mark Robinson has made clear that Saturday’s dressing room heart-to-heart between the AFC Wimbledon players was all of their own doing – and  praised them for showing passion following the defeat.

The Dons fell to their third loss in their last six games, with Jesen Wier’s 47th-minute header the difference at Cambridge.

The players stayed in the dressing room for more than an hour, airing their frustrations as they look to rediscover their early-season form and pull themselves away from the relegation zone.

Speaking to the South London Press, Robinson explained: “I believe a few people have said that I kept them in, which wasn’t the case at all, the players took control of it, and I just let them speak – I said very little for the first bulk of it.

“I was just letting them speak, get their frustration out. I just gave my thoughts at the end of it when everything had calmed down.

“I read a few things about it being a long time to be left behind, but I have to applaud them for the fact that they care that much. It’s a lot healthier doing that than losing, getting ready within five minutes, and putting a ‘sorry’ message on Twitter.

“It shows the passion and how much they care. On this occasion, I welcomed it, and it was important that they got their frustration out, and there were some players who, possibly haven’t had so much to say, found their voice. I just felt at that time it was key.

“It feels as though it was the right decision because we have had a really great week – they feel closer together than ever – and those honest conversations are really important if you’re going to build a genuine, real bond.

“There were more people having something to say and eventually nearly everyone joined in. It was really key that I let it run, and it has allowed me to add other things in training this week that will help us grow.

“You always want the results to be really positive, of course you do, but fundamentally I believe it’s the little things you don’t see that will eventually bring us the success we want.”

Robinson has tried to implement relationships between the players that extend beyond football so that honest conversations, good or bad, can take place. And the head coach is confident that the discussion following Cambridge can be a catalyst to rediscover the early form from the start of the season.

“The key thing is that if it doesn’t happen overnight, not to panic,” said Robinson. “I’m confident it will, but football matches are really hard to win.

“We’re a really young group, and I’m not just saying that for excuses, it’s just a fact, on a limited budget, and it makes it tough. But I am confident that once we get where we need to be, we will find a level of consistency that probably the club hasn’t ever had before.”