PHIL Parkinson has revealed the secret behind Wanderers’ long-overdue away win at AFC Wimbledon today.

It had been 495 days since the Whites’ last victory on the road but that all ended this afternoon as goals from Gary Madine and Liam Trotter sealed three points which put their side joint top of the early League One table.

Andy Barcham had scored early on for the home side but Parkinson believes a cards-on-the-table meeting with his players the night before the game inspired exactly the response he was looking for.

“I thought it was an excellent performance after a difficult start for us,” he said. “The pitch is a bit thick, it’s very tight, and teams play a certain way on it.

“But I didn’t want people saying the pitch was this or that, or their style was a bit direct, and we didn’t do that.

“We had a meeting in the hotel last night to go through the requirements we felt were needed to win this game. Then we asked the players what they felt we needed to do to win an away game – and one of the things they said was ‘no excuses’.

“We needed everyone to stand up and be counted. And you could feel the relief once the final whistle sounded through all the supporters and the players.”

Wanderers have not won back-to-back games at the start of a league season since 2001 but Parkinson was full of praise for the way his players have responded since his arrival in the summer.

“Football is about doing whatever it takes to win,” he said. “The top managers like Jose Mourinho find a way to win the game.

“Since I came in the character of the lads has been excellent.

“We came here today and it was a party atmosphere. It was their first game at this level and you could feel the expectancy in the air.

“It became a big club v little club scenario. That could have gone against us and we certainly started poorly. That was the only period of the game I was disappointed about because after that we were in control of the game.”

It was by no means a complete performance – and Parkinson admits he will be scrutinising the first half in particular for how his side can improve on Wednesday night at Bristol Rovers.

“There’s no better feeling than winning a game but there are certainly things we can get better at,” he said. “There were bits of organisation, at times we were a little bit slack, and they have got to be improved.

“In terms of the work-rate, after a tough game on Tuesday, every player and member of staff on that coach played their part.”