Pre-season: Wealdstone 2-0 MK Dons

Sam Nombe made his first outing for MK Dons 24 hours after signing for the club in a 2-0 defeat to Wealdstone on Saturday.

The 27-year-old striker started for the side and played the opening 45 minutes at Grosvenor Vale as Dons were downed by goals from Micah Obiero and a trialist.

With one half of the squad playing Premier League champions Arsenal at their training ground, the other half were given a stern test in the form of National League side Wealdstone, under the watch of assistant head coach Richie Barker and Dean Lewington.

Given his first run-out 24 hours after rejoining the club, Sam Nombe was the focus of much of Dons’ attention as he led the line and he was involved in a lot of Dons’ front-foot play.

Youngster Brooklyn Kazungu continued to make a name for himself in pre-season with a troublesome opening 45 minutes, where he gave Stones captain Jack Cook a real headache.

Kazungu and Nombe almost linked up for the opener on the half-hour when the former’s cross was just out of reach of the new signing, while the pair combined again a couple of minutes later to provide for Charlie Waller, only to see him fire over.

Wealdstone though were keen to make their mark on the game too, and Micah Obiero twice had good sights of goal, forcing keeper Seb Stacey into a find one-handed save, while Mason Barrett headed over.

But Stacey, who made a mistake against Maidenhead a week earlier for their only goal of the game, again should have done better when a long ball forwards was left by Charlie Goode, the keeper came rushing out but was beaten to it by Obiero who could roll the ball into the empty net.

The second-half lost all of the first-half zip and drive as both sides settled in again, giving a distinctly pre-season feel to the rest of the game. While Dons brought on Will Collar and Jack Perniskie at the break for Nombe and Matete, both defences mopped up long balls with ease with neither side really looking likely to add to the score.

That was until, with 18 minutes to go, Dons gave up a cheap corner when Stacey thought it was rolling out for a goal-kick, and the set-piece came back off the post before being swiped home after a goal-mouth scramble by one of Wealdstone’s trialists.

MK Dons: Stacey, Goode, Sanders, Waller (Boateng 82), Jones, Troso, Wintle, Matete (Collar 46), Crowley, Kazungu, Nombe (Perniskie 46)

Subs: Mason