Pride was the overwhelming emotion for manager Russell Martin after Scott Fraser’s late penalty helped MK Dons beat Plymouth 2-1.

Cameron Jerome put the hosts ahead at Stadium:MK but Conor Grant equalised for Argyle on the hour.

A draw looked likely but, with just one minute remaining, Fraser slotted home a penalty when Joe Edwards was deemed to have handled.

“I think we deserved the win,” said Martin. “I think it was an excellent performance, the amount of passes and control the players had in a game on a pitch that was like that after three games in a week is incredible really.

“We can’t take that for granted.

“I’m extremely proud of the way they’re able to do that, the way they play together, their mentality and intensity not only to do that in possession but to defend was brilliant.

“We conceded a fantastic strike which was a bit easier to accept than some of the goals we’ve conceded recently and I just thought overall as a team performance it was fantastic.

“We created some big chances as well, that we didn’t convert.

“Fish (Andrew Fisher) had to make two saves really, one that was straight at him and the other one he got down low but apart from that we limited them to very little.”

Dons took the lead on 22 minutes when Jerome headed home from Matthew Sorinola’s left-footed cross.

Plymouth piled on the pressure early in the second half and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 61st minute through Grant, whose long-range strike went in off the post.

But Argyle hearts were broken when Edwards was penalised – with manager Ryan Lowe crestfallen at not securing a point.

“I was going to bring the laptop out to show people because it’s not a penalty. Joe jumps and it hits his back,” he said.

“There’s a delay in him giving it as well and because all their hands went in the air, that’s made his decision for him.

“The lads are out on their feet in there. They’ve covered so much distance throughout the game yet it’s probably one of the first times we’ve been outdone by possession in terms of a lot in their favour.

“But that was the game plan – let them have the ball around the back and we’ll try and nick it off them.

“I thought we did that nearly to a tee. We should’ve scored two goals in the first 10 minutes and the game is only going one way.

“A point has been taken away from us when we’ve been in a bad run of results.

“You need that little bit of help and we didn’t get that.”