MK Dons 3-4 Carlisle
Dramatic defeat for Dons
For the first time in memory there were boos reverberating around stadium:mk as a stunned crowd watched their side disintegrate in front of their eyes.
Just 20-minutes gone and Dons go 3-0 down to a Carlisle team languishing just above the League One relegation zone.
To make things worse two of the goals came from set-pieces that were defended by a Dons team that looked like a bunch of strangers.
Some of them went with their man, others stood still just watching, while the concept of 'goal side' was altogether abandoned – and the result was disastrous.
It takes a lot to annoy the usually forgiving home croud, but to be 3-0 down on the back of two previous defeats certainly did it. And they let the players know about it. Sarcastic cheers greeted any United attack Dons did manage to thwart.
Dons did soon respond to their critics, Luke Chadwick in particular taking it upon himself to get Dons back in the game as he bagged a quick brace to give his side hope.
Sam Baldock's efforts were then rewarded as he notched a third, and suddenly all was well again as Dons drew level. Game on.
Or maybe not, they then just, well.... stopped.
Dons took their foot firmly off the gas and were punished again by another set-piece that led to the Cumbrians going back in front.
The visitors learnt their lessons from earlier in the game and this time didn't allow Dons any way back into the game. For the first time in three and a half years, Dons were looking at three straight defeats.
The club-record six game winning streak at stadium:mk was ended in the process. But the stat that will really worry boss Paul Ince the most is that his side have conceded 11 goals in those three losses.
He must now have to go back to the drawing board in an effort to solve the great set-piece problem.
Three of the four goals came from then on Tuesday, after both against Southend came from dead-ball situations and Charlton's long balls into the box caused no end of problems.
Defeat to Carlisle may have been different had Baldock not fired over a chance after 30-seconds and Aaron Wilbraham not fluffed an even easier chance two minutes later.
But they both missed and then a long ball to the wily Graham Kavanagh caught out Danny Swailes and the veteran midfielder was able to hold up the ball before playing in Kevan Hurst who then beat Luke Howell with a dummied shot and fired past Willy Gueret.
Just over 10 minutes later and Carlisle curled a pretty average delivery into the penalty area from a free-kick and it somehow caused a mass-confusion, allowing Vincent Pericard to glance home.
A couple of minutes later another set-piece into the box saw Dons defend like a bunch of statues and Pericard again had a free header which beat the flat-footed Gueret.
The players looked at each other cluelessly while the boos began.
Meanwhile Nigel Quashie was immediately summoned from the bench for his premature debut.
And thankfully Dons have a player in their ranks who doesn't know the meaning of the phrase lost cause.
Chadwick ran himself ragged in a bid to get his side back in the game and his snap-shot on the edge of the box beat 'keeper Adam Collin at his near post.
A minute later and with confidence boosted Martin Devaney won the ball almost straight from kick-off and his cross was poorly dealt with by the Carlisle defence, and the prowling Chadwick able to tap in from close range.
United were like a weary boxer on the ropes at this point, altough they somehow managed to hang on until the break.
But then just two minutes into the second half a superb through ball from, you guessed it – Chadwick, saw Baldock zip past the veteran Ian Harte and finish with aplomb right in the bottom corner.
You would think that only one team could win the game from this point. But Carlisle had other ideas. From a Kavanagh corner Joe Anyinsah was able to prod home from close range.
Dons were stunned again and not even the addition of top scorer Jermaine Easter could get them back into the game this time.
A few half chances were wasted but Carlisle were simply not going to mess up again and they remarkably took the three points all the way back to the north west with them, after a night that is going to live long in the memory.
MK Dons: Gueret, Doumbe, McCracken, Swailes (booked 19), Lewington, Devaney (Easter 71), Howell (Quashie 35), Puncheon, Chadwick (Johnson 79), Baldock, Wilbraham
Subs: Searle, Johnson, Quashie, Powell, Ibehre, Easter, Carrington
Carlisle: Collin, Horwood, Livesey, Kavanagh (booked 76), Robson, Taiwo (booked 39, 90 sent off), Harte, Pericard, Keogh, Hurst, Clayton (Anyinsah 53)
Subs: Murphy, Anyinsah, Dobie, Rothery, Burn, Kane, Pidgeley
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
