Saturday 9 January 2016 19:39, UK
Northampton manager Chris Wilder admits he was left with mixed emotions after seeing his side denied a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup by a late MK Dons equaliser at Sixfields.
The hosts looked to be heading through when Ricky Holmes' brace at the start of the second half overturned Ryan Cresswell's early own goal and saw the Cobblers leading 2-1 going into the final 10 minutes.
However, MK Dons top scorer Nicky Maynard climbed off the bench to snatch a replay for the Championship side with a deflected 82nd-minute leveller.
Wilder was disappointed not to have held on for victory in testing conditions, but was also thrilled with the performance of his League Two high-flyers.
He said: "We're in a great position in the league and we're producing great performances like today. We feel a bit disappointed not to have beaten a Championship side in the FA Cup.
"It's mixed emotions, we played so well and thought we'd done enough to get into the fourth round, but it wasn't to be. We desperately needed that third goal and if we'd have got it I think that would have been enough.
"We recovered really well from going behind. Our general play was very good, but I felt we just lacked a bit of quality when it mattered.
"We told the players at half-time that we were matching Milton Keynes but we just needed a bit more belief. We stepped up in the second half and pressed them.
"We got two good goals and we're a bit disappointed by their equaliser, we had chances to clear it. The first goal was an own goal and the equaliser was a deflection."
MK Dons manager Karl Robinson was pleased to see his side still in the hat for Monday's fourth-round draw after admitting they were "poor" for a significant part of Saturday's game following a fast start.
He said: "We're still in the fourth-round draw and that's the main thing, now we can take them back to stadiummk and have another go there.
"When you look at some of the results today you can see what a great competition it is and we're still in it. If we can win the replay then we're in the fourth round.
"For the first 15 minutes we were excellent and for the last 15 minutes we were excellent. In the middle hour we were poor and we have to have a look at that.
"Individually, some players disappointed but I don't think we didn't work hard enough collectively, we just lacked a cutting edge in the vital areas."
Robinson also praised Northampton for their performance, adding: "Chris Wilder's sides always have high intensity and you can see why they are right up there at the top of League Two. They are flying at home and pressed us really high up the pitch.
"They had the middle part of the pitch but once we scored I felt we came off our game a little bit. But it's the FA Cup, the weather was horrible and the pitch was difficult, Northampton took advantage of the conditions in the second half.
"Northampton might be disappointed not to be through but we've had disappointments all season and that's the way football is. It was a derby, we've not been at our best, but we're still in the hat for the next round."
