Diabate header secures Exeter the points over drab Dons

It was an afternoon to forget for MK Dons on Saturday as they were soundly beaten, albeit only by the odd goal, away at Exeter City on Saturday.

Cheick Diabate’s header on 66 minutes may have been the only goal of the game, but Dons barely caused a threat all afternoon at St James Park in a drab showing away from home.

Liam Manning’s side had Jamie Cumming to thank for ensureingthe score stayed civil, with the keeper making three brilliant saves to keep the hosts at bay before his resolve was eventually broken.

After making wholesale changes to the side for the Papa John's Trophy game with Cheltenham in the week, Liam Manning reverted back to the side which started the 4-0 win against Morecambe last Saturday, with the only change to the squad being Josh Kayode replacing Ethan Robson on the bench.

With the sides separated by just a point at the start of play, both fairly cancelled each other out in the opening half-an-hour and it made for a difficult watch. Dons struggled to string anything together in the attacking half as they cheaply gave up possession, while Exeter looked threatening out wide, but failed to pick anyone out in the middle.

Half chances came and went, with former Dons striker Sam Nombe coming close to poking home about as good as it got.

But Darragh Burns should have given the visitors the lead eight minutes before half-time when he was picked out at the far post by Daniel Harvie's cross, but City keeper Jamal Blackman did well to deny him.

If Exeter had their keeper to thank for keeping it goal-less, Dons returned in kind when Jamie Cumming pulled off two sensational stops, first clawing away Jonathan Grounds' header before popping up to deny the home side the rebound with another swat away to keep it level at the break.

The Dons keeper would be a busy man early in the second half too, denying Jack Sparkes and plucking cross after cross out the sky as Exeter piled on the pressure to a hapless Dons side.

Once again unable to get any joy in the Exeter half, Manning swapped out his front three for Matt Dennis, Josh Kayode and Matt Smith but the chances made little difference to their fortunes.

And so it came as little surprise when Exeter's pressure finally paid off on 66 minutes when Cheick Diabate nodded home Jevani Brown's corner to give the hosts the lead.

But there was no reaction from Dons, with neither Kayode nor Dennis able to get any meaningful touches of the ball, let alone cause any sort of threat.

As if to sum up their afternoon, a rare venture into the Exeter half saw Kayode win a free-kick on the left-edge of the penalty area, only for Dawson Devoy to fire it aimlessly over everyone's head.

Referee: Ben Toner

Exeter City: Blackman, Sparkes, Collins, Nombe (Stansfield 80), Key, Dieng (Harper 63), Kite, Brown, Sweeney, Grounds, Diabate

Subs not used: Brown, Caprice, Jay, H Smith, Chauke

MK Dons: Cumming, Lewington, O'Hora, Tucker Harvie, Lawrence (Oyegoke 75), Johnson, Devoy, Grant (Smith 57), Burns (Kayode 57), Grigg (Dennis 46)

Subs not used: Ravizzoli, Barry, Jules

Booked: Harvie, Grounds