Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver conceded his side’s 5-1 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons was hard to comprehend.

The Sulphurites were heading into the game on a high, having beaten Yorkshire rivals Bradford City at the weekend.

However, there was no sign of a spring in their step as they were outclassed by Scott Lindsey’s Dons.

“I’m a bit shocked and really disappointed,” Weaver said. “It’s hard to comprehend after the highs of Saturday when everyone connected with Harrogate Town wore the shirt with pride.

“It was definitely ‘After The Lord Mayor’s Show’ and we couldn’t get anywhere near those levels in any aspect of our game. It’s a challenging time because we are showing we are capable one minute and then incapable of any form of consistency the next.”

Simon Weaver's Harrogate Town were beaten comfortably by MK Dons. | Bruce Rollinson

placeholder image — Simon Weaver's Harrogate Town were beaten comfortably by MK Dons. | Bruce Rollinson

MK Dons were three goals to the good before a Luke Offord own-goal offered the hosts a slither of hope. However, that flicker of hope was extinguished by late goals from Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Sonny Finch.

“That comes down to character and whether people have the capacity to be consistent, so we’ve got to look at the psychology of the group because there was a mental capitulation and the goals we conceded were awful,” Weaver said. “The second and third gave us a mountain to climb in the second half and then the fourth and fifth goals were just as awful.

“They hammered us and the scoreline was deserved in the end so it’s back to the drawing board for us.”