Dons comfortably brushed aside by promotion chasing Port Vale

MK Dons were unable to build on their first win in seven games last week, soundly beaten 3-0 by Port Vale on Saturday.

Despite having more than two third of the possession, Dons were second best to promotion-chasing Vale, trailing 1-0 at the break after Lorent Tolaj capitalised on Nico Lawrence’s 28th minute mistake.

When Jaydon Stockley, once courted by Dons, poked home Vale’s second five minutes into the second-half, the game was effectively sealed, with substitute Ben Garrity adding a third deep into stoppage time at the end.

Injury to Aaron Nemane prompted boss Ben Gladwin into the only change for his side from the win over Morecambe a week prior. Fresh from the news of his international call-up with Wales U21s, Callum Tripp came into the side for Nemane, with Jack Sanders named amongst the substitutes. Jay Williams also missed out on the game with a knock.

Last Saturday's win over Morecambe went a long way in securing Dons' League Two status next term, but they remained in an unwanted 18th spot in the division. Taking on promotion-hunting Port Vale, there was in fact little to tell between the sides in the opening half-an-hour. Neither side really caused the goalkeepers much bother, though Jaydon Stockley and Lorent Tolaj had the better sights of goal, but were unable to hit the target.

A lengthy spell of possession from the visitors started to get the home supporters' backs up as they watched their side chase, Dons could only send an effort over the bar when a virtuoso Joe White effort sailed well off the mark.

From the goal-kick though, Dons would gift the visitors the opener. A loose touch from Nico Lawrence was capitalised on by Tolaj 35 yards out, the Swiss bursting into the box and picking his spot past Connal Trueman to give Vale a 28th minute lead.

Having shown improvements in those opening minutes though, Dons reverted to type in the run-up to half-time, becoming the masters of their own downfall. Cheapy giving up possession, overly-playing in dangerous areas, inviting unnecessary pressure and losing the ball in tight spots, they were fortunate not to be down and out by the break.

Instead, they came within the width of the crossbar from equalising on the stroke of half-time when a simple free-kick from Dan Crowley found the head of Luke Offord, but his looped effort bounced off the bar.

After having 65 per cent of the possession in the first-half and just two shots off target, Danilo Orsi made keeper Ben Amos dirty his shirt a couple minutes after the restart, but just five minutes into the second period, Dons' task was made even harder when Stockley prodded home Ronan Curtis' cross to double Vale's advantage.

Gladwin made changes to his formation in a bid to get a bit more of a hold on the game, but with the scoreline well in Vale's favour, they allowed the visitors to comortably have more of the ball, while keeping them comfortably at arm's length.

Alex Gilbey came closest to an unlikely lifeline when he got on the end of substitute Scott Hogan's cross, but hit it harmlessly over the bar.

Deep into eight minutes of stoppage time though, Vale would add a third when Curtis spun the ball around the corner for substitute Ben Garrity to race onto, and a classy finish over the on-rushing Trueman wrapped it up.

Referee: Michael Barlow/Grant Taylor

Attendance: 6,773 (294)

Port Vale: Amos, Clark, Heneghan, Hall, Byers, Stockley (Umolu 71), Curtis, Tolaj (Garrity 82), Debrah, John, Walters (Croasdate 71)

Subs not used: Broome, Shorrock, Hackford, Richards

MK Dons: Trueman, Lawrence (Thompson-Sommers 65), Maguire, Offord, Tomlinson, Tripp (O'Reilly 51), Lemonheigh-Evans, Crowley, White Gilbey, Orsi (Hogan 65)

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Kelly, Sanders, Waller

Booked: O'Reilly, Crowley