MK Dons boss Scott Lindsey was disappointed to be knocked out of the EFL Trophy as a defeat to Leyton Orient knocked his side out in the group stage.

Lindsey spoke after a 3-1 defeat by Leyton Orient at Stadium MK confirmed MK Dons’ exit from the EFL Trophy, with the Dons finishing bottom of their group.

The Dons boss reflected it was a missed opportunity for his back-up players, who he felt could’ve found the competition beneficial in order to gain game time.

He said, “We’re disappointed to lose because obviously we want to continue winning. It’s important and I think it would’ve been important to stay in this competition because it would’ve given us some more games for the boys who are not playing as much football. I’m sad for that.”

Reflecting on the game in isolation, Lindsey said he felt that the overall contest against the League One side was defined by an overall lack of quality.

He said, “In terms of the performance, I felt we lacked a bit of quality. We played some good moments and had probably the best moments in the second half to score more. We had some chances in that second half. But I think we lacked quality at times. You look at all three goals and they’re all turnovers of possession from ourselves. We’ve got to be better. But I can’t fault the player’s efforts. I thought they stuck to the ask all night against a strong side in Leyton Orient, the effort we put in was strong but just lacked a bit of quality at times.”

Despite the loss, Lindsey said there were elements that gave him pause for thought and things to develop.

He said, “It’s just disappointment in the three moments but I felt we were loose at times during the night. We’ve got to show a bit more quality. We’re not going to change as coaches and we want to play with the ball, so we’ve got to get the players up to speed with what we want.”

MK Dons had made 11 changes for the game and Lindsey stood by his call, saying it had been useful to help reserve and youth players with their game time.

He said, “I think it’s clear to me what the team looks like next week, but it’s good to play in these games because it’s competitive and good for players to play minutes on the pitch, and of course, some young players to be involved. It’s always good for their development.”