Catastrophic start for Dons emphatically ends winning run

A disastrous opening 20 minutes ended MK Dons' three-match winning streak as they fell to a dismal 4-2 defeat to Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night.

Russell Martin's side were 3-0 down and had given away two penalties in the opening exchanges, as Sean Goss, Ollie Norburn and Curtis Main fired home for the Shrews. Will Grigg pulled one back midway through the first half to leave Dons with something of a lifeline heading into the second period, but Goss' second of the game just before the hour put the visitors out of their misery.

Charlie Brown netted a consolation with eight minutes to go as Dons dropped to 13th in the table.

Injury to Scott Fraser forced him out of the squad to face the Shrews as Russell Martin made two changes to the side which started against Northampton on Saturday. Ben Gladwin replaced him in midfield, with Cameron Jerome also returning to the side in place of Joe Mason. Jordan Houghton was included on the bench for the first time since ankle surgery in November.

Conceding early goals has been the bane of Dons' season, and has reared it's ugly head into the fold again of late. But few could have predicted they would go 3-0 down in the opening 20 minutes. Sean Goss fired in Donald Love's cross after just four minutes to set the tone, before Ben Gladwin downed Harry Chapman three minutes later to earn Shrewsbury the first of two penalties. Ollie Norburn made no mistakes from the spot, but he was not on duty for their second when Harry Darling handled in the box 10 minutes later – Curtis Main doing the job to make it 3-0.

Will Grigg pulled one back when he turned in Ethan Laird's cross on 22 minutes to give Dons an unlikely lifeline in a game they didn't deserve to still be in.

Neither Andrew Surman nor Gladwin looked to be able to pick a pass, but somehow Dons were still in with a shout, and could have been back within a goal when Cameron Jerome shot on the spin, but Matija Sarkic denied him.

After the hectic opening, there was little in the way of action for either side until the interval, but it was game over 12 minutes into the second half when Goss fired in his second of the evening, tapping home Josh Vela's ball into the mix after Matt O'Riley was caught in possession.

Dons' substitutions did stem the tide in the closing stages, and Charlie Brown netted his second in as many games when he added their second with eight minutes to go.

Referee: Leigh Doughty

Shrewsbury Town: Sarkic, Williams, Goss (Golbourne 83), Whalley (Udoh 83), Norburn, Vela, Ogbeta, Love (Daniels 17), Main (Pyke 68), Ebanks-Landell, Chapman (Edwards 83)

Subs not used: Burgoyne, Edwards, Davis

MK Dons: Fisher, Lewington, Darling, O'Hora, Laird, Jules (Harvie 58), Surman, O'Riley, Gladwin (Houghton 58), Grigg (Mason 58), Jerome

Subs not used: Nicholls, Johnson

Booked: Jerome, Norburn, Edwards, Darling