Dons brush aside Northampton in comfortable EFL Trophy win

MK Dons head into the League One season on Saturday with a fine victory in their pockets after a 3-1 win over Northampton Town at Stadium MK in the EFL Trophy.

A slow start saw them fall behind after 13 minutes when a fine Joseph Mills strike saw them take the lead. But Regan Poole fired in his first career goal on 33 minutes to draw Dons level, before second half strikes from Sam Nombe and Matthew Sorinola completed the victory, sending Dons to Doncaster on Saturday for the League One curtain-raiser full of confidence.

Laurie Walker made his first professional start in goal for MK Dons as part of four changes from the side which lined up against Coventry City on Saturday. Regan Poole, Warren O'Hora and Joe Mason also came into the side, with Lee Nicholls, Callum Brittain, John Freeman and Carlton Morris all dropping to the bench.

Walker, a Dons academy product, was making his debut for the club at the age of 30, but his inexperience and indecisiveness was causing his defence issues early on. Twice he was caught in two minds about whether to come for balls or leave them for skipper Dean Lewington, with the first forcing him into a save while the second sailed past him in emphatic fashion as Joseph Mills fired Northampton into a 13th minute lead.

While the home side were slow to get going, they began to piece together some decent passing moves which began to unlock Northampton. David Kasumu twice tested keeper Jonathan Mitchell in the Northampton net but it was the unlikely source of Regan Poole who drew Dons level.

It was a terrific team move from front to back as Matthew Sorinola, Lasse Sorensen and Joe Mason broke up the left, with the young defender crossing to the far post for Poole to take a touch and fire in the equaliser on 33 minutes.

Cobblers were dealt a double blow before half time though, with both goal-scorer Mills and centre forward Harry Smith limping out injured forcing Keith Curle into two unwanted changes.

The tides changed in the second period as Dons sought out a goal to put them into the lead, but once again their lack of killer instinct in front of goal was their Achilles heel. David Kasumu, Joe Mason and Sam Nombe all missed chances which should have seen Dons take the lead.

They had to wait until the final 15 minutes though, and Dons twice struck in three minutes to put their first points on the EFL Trophy board.

First, Sam Nombe neatly stabbed home John Freeman's cross before Freeman turned provider again, with Sorinola completing another sweeping team move to make it 3-1 in the blink of an eye.

Referee: Christopher Pollard

MK Dons: Walker, Lewington, Poole, Cargill, O'Hora, Sorinola, Houghton (Brittain 80), Sorensen (Freeman 70), Kasumu, Nombe, Mason (Morris 61)

Subs not used: Nicholls, Davies, Jallow, Black

Northampton Town: Mitchell, Harriman, Bolger, Horsfall, Watson, Smith (Lines 45), Korboa, Racic (Martin 46), Warburton, Mills (Roberts 39), Missilou

Subs not used: Arnold, Ballinger, Johnston, Marshall

Booked: Lines, Sorensen