A sliding doors moment for MK Dons youngster Clark-Anderson

Giving away a penalty in his first professional game threatened to ruin the night for Josh Clark-Anderson, but it could be the making of him.

The first year scholar has only been on the field for around three minutes before he upended Neo Dobson to give away the spot kick, allowing Tyreece Simpson to equalise for Northampton in the 82nd minute.

Clark-Anderson looked distraught at the decision, but was quickly surrounded by his team-mates who encouraged him to push past it. Dawson Devoy's stunning strike just a couple of minutes later though would restore MK Dons' lead and secure the win.

"There were three or four of us who went straight over to him to tell him not to worry about it," said defender Charlie Waller, who was making his full debut on Tuesday. "Then when Daws scored, it really didn't matter. He did well after that, that's the main thing.

"It's nice to play with the young lads we played in the academy with. It made it feel comfortable out there, playing with players you know about and how they play. If they make a mistake, you can look to your friend and tell them not to worry about it."

The incident could act as a sliding doors moment for Clark-Anderson, according to Dons assistant head coach Ian Watson, with the youngster's reaction to the mishap key to how his career could progress.

He said: "Football is ruthless, and the best way to learn is through moments like that. At that moment, he probably felt low and down, but in five years, that might be the best thing to have happened to his career. It's how he responds to it, these things happen in football.

"It's split-second stuff. He was obviously devastated by it at the time, but hopefully he'll put it behind him because it's a positive result.

"It's a test for him early on to see how he'll react to that adversity. If he reacts positively, it could be the best thing that happens in his career. We'll keep an eye on him, but it's football, it's part of the learning."