Southend United 2-1 MK Dons
Controversial injury-time penalty breaks Dons' hearts
You know it's not your night when your in-form centre forward puts through his own net.
And when four minutes into stoppage time a card-happy referee awards a penalty because he saw a player in blue trip over his own laces, you might as well go home.
League One leading scorer Lee Barnard duly stepped up to take the contentious spot kick and based on previous events in the evening, you knew there was only one outcome.
The defeat was an historic one – the first ever time Southend have beaten Dons. Not that they particularly deserved it. Then again, neither did Dons.
An average night of football was dominated by a nagging ref who saw fit to dish out seven yellow cards in the first half alone. It made for a stop-start and mostly disappointing game.
Paul Ince's side didn't perform anywhere near their best despite taking an early lead again as Sam Baldock smashed past Steve Mildenhall.
This against a Southend side in dismay after recently avoiding administration and only able to fill five of seven places on the bench.
Steve Tilson only had three fit defenders in his squad, so for his men to do the business on the night he celebrated six years in charge was a credit to the Shrimpers' commitment.
Dons slump to sixth place a week after they had the chance to go second. But the thing that would have annoyed all concerned most was it was a game there to win.
Dons just didn't grab it by the scruff of the neck and do it.
After Willy Gueret had made a terrific save from a Frank Moussa thunderbolt the visitors took the lead.
Baldock picked up the ball 40 yards from goal and played it to Luke Chadwick. The winger teased his way forward before playing the ball back to the over-lapping Baldock whose low shot went past Mildenhall in a flash.
But 10 minutes later Southend were gifted a route back as Dons failed to defend a free kick 40 yards from goal.
Jonny Herd drifted the ball into the box and Wilbraham managed to perfectly head into the far corner past Gueret.
The rest of the half was marred by the almost constant stream of yellow cards dished out to both sides, although Mathias Doumbe did have a diving header cleared off the line. And Baldock headed just wide while Alan McCormack fired wide from 18 yards for Southend.
The second half saw less goalmouth action as neither team seemed committed enough to winning the game.
Wilbraham had a weak shot that didn't trouble the 'keeper while Chadwick's rising effort was well held at the second attempt by Mildenhall.
Barnard did put the ball into Gueret's net but was judged to be offside before rounding the Dons keeper and tapping into the net.
The former Spurs striker then had an effort cleared off the line by Dean Lewington after a Simon Francis corner.
Dons by this point needed some fresh legs. But they didn't come – despite there being a wealth of talent on the bench, with Jermaine Easter, Stephen Gleeson and Jemal Johnson all waiting in the wings.
Still it was Dons who probably did look the more likely to bag a winner as Jason Puncheon played a great one-two with Chadwick and then fired a shot that Mildenhall saved with his legs.
Then as the game drifted towards obscurity, Deadman turned things on its head.
A free kick was curled in and the ref somehow judged Doumbe to have pushed Jean-Franois Christophe to the ground, even though it looked more like the Frenchman had his arms all over the Dons defender.
Barnard stepped up to send Gueret the wrong way and give Dons their fourth away defeat of the campaign, leaving Ince's men desperate to get back to winning ways against Carlisle.
MK Dons: Gueret, Doumbe, Powell, McCracken (booked 54), Lewington, Devaney, Howell (booked 19) (Carrington 77), Puncheon (booked 68), Chadwick (booked 22) (Johnson 82), Baldock (booked 41) (Easter 72), Wilbraham
Subs: Johnson, Gleeson, Leven, Ibehre, Carrington, Swailes, Easter
Goals: Baldock 14
Southend: Mildenhall, Francis, Christophe (booked 34), Barrett (booked 44), Grant (booked 38), McCormack, Barnard (booked 40), Moussa, Freedman (Scannell 65), Herd, Laurent
Subs: Walker, Scannell, O'Keefe, Asante, Bentley
Goals: Christoph 24, Barnard 90+4
Attendance: 6,957 (289 Dons fans)
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
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