Bird is the word as his brace sees Dons past Stevenage

Jay Bird scored a debut brace as MK Dons took a step towards the next round of the EFL Trophy, beating Stevenage 3-2 at the Lamex Stadium.

Despite a slow start, Dons netted twice in six minutes as first Carlton Morris - an early change for injured Sam Nombe - opened the scoring before Bird scored the first of this career.

But a bizarre own-goal from Louis Thompson on the stroke of half time and then a Inih Effiong penalty in the second half saw Alex Revell's side back level, but Bird settled it six minutes from time with a brilliant effort from the edge of the box.

After the 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Saturday and with a view to Portsmouth at the weekend, Russell Martin made nine changes to the side to face Stevenage in the EFL Trophy. Lasse Sorensen and Callum Brittain were the only survivors from the team, with Jordan Houghton starting at the heart of defence.

Dons had started the previous two games poorly and it looked like a repeat was on the cards when Laurie Walker was called into action early on to first deny Danny Newton before Inih Effiong hit the post from a corner.

The visitors though got their feet under the table, they were dealt a blow when Sam Nombe went down as he took a blow to the back of his leg. Limping out after half an hour, he was replaced by Carlton Morris and within a minute, the on-loan Norwich man was on the scoresheet.

Warren O'Hora's looping header was not dealt with well by keeper Billy Johnson, who could only flap at it, with Morris on hand to lash home the opener on 31 minutes.

Six minutes later, Morris played a key role in Dons' second as he burst into the box, picked out Sorensen who drew a stunning save from Johnson, only for Jay Bird to tap in.

With Dons cruising towards a comfortable half-time advantage, Walker showed his inexperience in goal as he chased a ball over the top which was easily dealt with by the impressive Louis Thompson, who headed back to where the keeper should have been and it dribbled over the line to reduce the arrears in first half stoppage time.

The goal gave Stevenage momentum heading into the second half, and Dons spent much of it on the back foot as the hosts sought a way back into the game.

Warren O'Hora suffered a blow to the head when he was shoved into keeper Walker and was replaced by George Williams, but it was his make-shift defensive partner Jordan Houghton who gifted Stevenage the leveller, downing striker Inih Effiong in the box on 65 minutes. Effiong did the business from the spot.

With the game heading to a penalty shoot-out, Bird made sure Dons would pick up all the points with a brilliant second, finding the top corner from the edge of the box with six minutes to go.

Stevenage: Johnson, Coker (JamesWilden 46), Vincelot, Osborn (Cuthbert 46), Effiong, Newton (Read 66), Hutton, Townsend-West, Akinwande, Smith, Marshall

Subs not used: Cumming, Dinanga, Williams Arai

MK Dons: Walker, O'Hora (Williams 60), Cargill, Houghton, Brittain, Sorinola, Freeman, Thompson (Kasumu 66), Sorensen, Nombe (Morris 30), Bird

Subs not used: Nicholls, Fraser, Davies, Jallow

Booked: James-Wilden, Vincelot