Disastrous half-an-hour costs Dons their unbeaten run against Sheffield Wednesday

MK Dons' automatic promotion chances took a dent on Saturday after a wild half-an-hour meant Sheffield Wednesday ended their unbeaten run in emphatic style with a 3-2 win at Stadium MK.

Saido Berahino was somewhat fortuitious in opening the scoring on 10 minutes when Jamie Cumming spilled his strike into his net to give Wednesday the lead, before Lee Gregory tapped in from a corner 10 minutes later.

Barry Bannan is a running mate for Scott Twine for the League One Player of the Year, and he showed his credentials on the half-hour with a remarkable strike from 35-yards, catching Cumming off his line to put Wednesday in total control.

Dons though give themselves an unlikely lifeline five minutes before the break when Troy Parrott converted Twine's pass, setting the game up nicely for the second half.

Mo Eisa was stretchered off midway through the second half, as Dons tried in vain to get another to cause Wednesday problems, but that didn't come until the fifth minute of stoppage time when Twine's free-kick sailed in to make the scoreline a bit better reading for Dons.

It leaves Dons third in League One, having played a game more than both Rotherham and Wigan ahead, and just two weeks of the season to go.

Mo Eisa was the only change to the side Dons as he returned up front in place of Connor Wickham, who started last week at AFC Wimbledon. On the bench, Brandon Mason was named in his first matchday squad since signing last month.

In front of a bumper crowd at Stadium MK, with both sides needing a win to keep their promotion aspirations alive, a stunning half-hour spell from Sheffield Wednesday appeared to blow apart Dons' hopes as they raced into a 3-0 lead.

The first came on 10 minutes when, moments after Dons keeper Jamie Cumming tipped Lee Gregory's shot around the post, he had his head in his hands when he spilled Saido Berahino's strike from the resultant corner into the net to give the Owls the lead.

Ten minutes later, another corner saw that advantage double when Lee Gregory side-footed past Cumming to make it 2-0.

The third came in outrageous fashion from League One Player of the Year contender Barry Bannan when he picked up Dean Lewington's innocuous header 35 yards out, spotted keeper Cumming just off his line and lofted the ball in for Wednesday's third.

Despite the shocking scoreline, Dons had not played badly in that opening half-an-hour but were left with a huge mountain to climb for the remaining hour. Sticking to their patient approach though, they got a slim lifeline five minutes before the break when Troy Parrott was put through by another Player of the Year nominee Scott Twine, and after shaking off the attentions of Jordan Storey, lifted the ball over Bailey Peacock-Farrell to give Dons half a chance heading into the second half.

The hosts looked a far better prospect in the second period and limited Wednesday to precious little in front of Jamie Cumming's goal, but their own chances too to get back into it were few and far between.

Conor Coventry thundered an effort off the bar early in the proceedings but the Wednesday defence stood firm and restricted the host to half-chances.

Dons were dealt another blow just before the hour mark when Eisa left the field on a stretcher, with his left leg strapped in place and clearly in discomfort.

His replacement, Hiram Boateng, gave Dons another dimension and caused Wednesday some issues but Dons' huff and puff did not pay off until deep into the 10 minutes added on at the end when Twine bent in a trademark free-kick to reduce the arrears to one.

Referee: Ben Toner

Attendance: 14,252

MK Dons: Cumming, Lewington, O'Hora, Darling, Harvie, Kesler-Hayden (Corbeanu 76), Coventry, McEachran (Kasumu 67), Twine, Parrott, Eisa (Boateng 58)

Subs not used: Ravizzoli, Kemp, Wickham, Mason

Sheffield Wednesday: Peacock-Farrell, Storey, Dean (Dunkley 39), Palmer, Hunt, Byers, Dele-Bashiru, Bannan (Paterson 80), Johnson, Berahino, Gregory (Mendez-Laing 90)

Subs not used: Wildsmith, Brown, Shodipo, Kameri

Booked: Storey, Darling, Coventry, Palmer, Johnson