Mason scores first half hat-trick to see off Fleetwood

Joe Mason became Dons' first hat-trick scorer since 2016 as his trio saw off Fleetwood Town at Stadium MK on Tuesday night.

Mason's 27-minute trio - the first since Ryan Colclough in the 4-1 win over the same opposition - put Dons in a comfortable position heading into the second half, but Andrew Fisher would produce a string of excellent saves to keep his side from an embarrassing turnaround at the hands of a Fleetwood side who would not let the game go, eventually pulling one back through Sam Finley with seven minutes to go.

The win sees Dons climb to 15th in the table.

After Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Peterborough United, Russell Martin made two changes to the side for the visit of Fleetwood. With Andrew Surman injured at the Weston Homes Stadium, Joe Mason came in while Matthew Sorinola dropped to the bench with Warren O'Hora coming in.

Dons could have been behind inside the first minute when the linesman waved his flag to imply Paddy Madden was offside as he broke in behind to go one-on-one with Andrew Fisher, but referee Antony Coggins overruled his assistant and the keeper did well to deny the Fleetwood man the opener.

From there though, it would be the Joe Mason score as he netted Dons' first hat-trick since September 2016. His first came after four minutes when he fired in Ethan Laird's cross, before doubling the advantage 16 minutes later after picking the pocket of James Hill before firing past Joe Hilton.

His third on 27 minutes came from yet more defensive trouble from Fleetwood as Charlie Mulgrew's loose touch allowed Mason another sight of goal, and he made no mistakes as he became the first Dons player to net a trio since Ryan Colclough in the same fixture almost five years ago.

Ben Gladwin was pulling the strings for Dons in the centre of the park and dictated the pace supremely, but when Scott Fraser broke clear with Mason and Cameron Jerome flanking him, it should have been 4-0 before the interval, but Jerome unusually blasted over.

The second half was almost a training exercise for Dons, but Fleetwood weren't going to go back without a fight.

Kyle Vassell and Callum Camps both saw efforts come close before substitute Sam Finley crashed one against the crossbar.

Dons' fluidity of the first half was nowhere to be seen in the second period and it was Andrew Fisher who would be the busier of the two keepers, making a string of vital saves in a bid to keep a clean sheet.

He wouldn't be able to though as Finley fired in with seven minutes remaining. It should have been fairly routine to see it out though, but Dons almost conspired against themselves in the latter stages, with Vassell, Paddy Madden and Shayden Morris forcing saves from the keeper late on.

Referee: Antony Coggins

MK Dons: Fisher, Lewington, Poole, O'Hora, Harvie, Laird (Sorinola 57), Gladwin, Sorensen, Fraser, Jerome (Brown 84), Mason (Johnson )

Subs not used: Nicholls, Williams, Davies

Fleetwood: Hilton, Andrew (Rydel 80), Connolly, Whelan (Rossiter 80), Camps, J Morris (S Morris 80), Mulgrew, Coutts (Finley 46), Madden, Vassell, Hill (Holgate 65)

Subs not used: Duffy, Saunders

Booked: Madden, Freeman