Brown strikes late as Dons lose at home to Morecambe

It would be more stoppage time dramatics for MK Dons on Saturday but this time they were on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat to Morecambe.

After winning with the last kick of the game last week against Tranmere, Dons got a taste of that medicine when Charlie Brown fired in a 93rd minute winner for the Shrimps as they came from 1-0 down after less than 90 seconds when Max Dean opened the scoring.

An ugly, scrappy affair played into the hands of the visitors, who looked the better of the two sides in the second-half, drawing level six minutes after the restart through Jacob Bedeau before Brown capitlised on a mistake from debutant Lewis Bate to fire in from the edge of the box.

It is a result which sees Dons fail to capitalise on others around them not playing, and they remain seventh.

After signing on Friday, keeper Filip Marschall went straight into the side to take on Morecambe the following day as part of three changes from the side which took to the field against Tranmere Rovers. Ethan Robson dropped out in the warm-up at Prenton Park and returned to the fold, as did Daniel Harvie after missing out since mid-December, while Dean Lewington and Cameron Norman were named on the bench.

Max Dean had scored twice in the reverse fixture at the end of December, the second of which came at the very death at the Mazuma Stadium. And it needed just 78 seconds of play at Stadium MK for him to end his four-game goal-less run when he hit on the turn just inside the box to give Dons the lead.

Despite the lightning start from the home side, it was Morecambe who looked the more dangerous in the opening 10 minutes in a scrappy opening. Dons though would wrestle back control, and though it was not pretty, their work in the final third should have seen them further ahead by the interval.

Dean should have had a second when Joe Tomlinson whipped a ball into the danger zone, but keeper Archie Mair made a remarkable save to deny the striker a second. Dan Kemp, looking to open his account on his first game at Stadium MK since November 2022, twice had sight of goal onto to have a Morecambe deflection take the sting out of his efforts, while Dean spun one over the top just before the break.

The scrappy affair played right into the hands of Morecambe in the second-half, and much like at the Mazuma Stadium at the end of December, they were level not long after the restart when Jacob Bedeau got the final touch to loop the ball over Filip Marschall.

The second-half was not much to write home about for Dons. Careless in possession and second-best in the scrapping, the hosts struggled to create many clear-cut chances. Alex Gilbey saw an effort well blocked by Bedeau, Kemp spun an effort over the bar and Tomlinson spurned an opportunity to shoot but it would be at the other end which would decide the result.

Making his debut less than 24 hours after signing for the club, Lewis Bate twice looked sloppy on the ball but when he gave it away in the centre-circle to former Dons striker Brown, he could only watch on as the front man skipped past the challenge of Warren O'Hora to fire in the winner.

Referee: Marc Edwards

MK Dons: Marschall, O'Hora, Williams, Harvie (Lewington 81), Tomlinson, Lofthouse (Leko 81), Payne, Robson (Bate 75), Gilbey (Harrison 76), Kemp, Dean

Subs not used: Kelly, Norman, Smith

Morecambe: Mair, Bedeau, Rawson, Songo'o, Adams (Edwards 71), Garner (Brown 71), Mayor, Senior (Harrack 76), Slew (Barker 64), Stokes, Taylor

Subs not used: A Smith, Tutonda, Barker, Threlkeld

Booked: Dean, Tomlinson, Bedeau, Brown, Stokes