Dons end losing streak with brilliant win over Charlton Athletic

A brilliant MK Dons once again claimed the spoils at The Valley on a Tuesday night, but this one meant an awful lot more than the rest as their 2-0 triumph lifted them off the foot of the League One table.

Will Grigg scored from the spot on 66 minutes after Ryan Inness downed Louie Barry, earning the Charlton man his marching orders for a second booking, before Bradley Johnson’s excellent free-kick picked out the top corner with 12 minutes to go.

It ends a five-match losing streak for Liam Manning’s side, who were better throughout against an Addicks side who lost for the first time on home soil, with the win lifting Dons off the bottom but still in the drop zone.

After the defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, Dons made one change to the starting line-up, with Henry Lawrence, who scored his first goal for the club a week earlier against Walsall, coming in for Dan Oyegoke. But the waves were made on the bench with Mo Eisa named amongst the substitutes for the first time in six months following ankle surgery. Dawson Devoy, having served his three-match ban, was also on the bench.

Desperately needing a change in their fortunes after five straight defeats in the league, Dons were looking to draw on some of their good results at The Valley down the years and the first half certainly gave them something to be positive about.

Though Charlton had not lost at home all season, it was Dons who were in control for the most part. Chances were few and far between at either end, but it was the visitors who had the better of them, and they should have been heading in at the break in front but for the woodwork.

A strong break from Nathan Holland five minutes before the break showed Sean Clare a clean set of heels and as he got to the byline, he pulled back for Will Grigg with the goal open, but his left-footed effort crashed off the bar, before Bradley Johnson then forced keeper Joe Wollacott into an excellent save to deny him seconds later.

Johnson then nearly had egg on his face in first-half stoppage time when he turned on the ball in the centre circle, but ran into referee Neil Hair. He allowed play on as Charlton had a three-on-two advantage, but Tyreece Campbell fired into the side netting.

The hosts came out of the blocks flying in the second half and pressed Dons in for the early stages but once more struggled to really make Jamie Cumming work for his evening - only a Jes Rak-Sakyi effort from the edge of the box having him swipe it away.

Dons were limited to hitting Charlton on the counter, but one of those counters saw Ryan Inness trip Barry on the halfway line and put him into the book. And a few minutes later, that would come back to haunt him as Barry once again showed him a clean set of heels, and this time Inness clipped him bursting into the box, reducing the hosts to ten men and giving away a penalty. Will Grigg did the duties from the spot to give Dons a 66th minute lead.

The ten men were now chasing the game, but for all their huff and puff still struggled to create. Dons meanwhile proved clinical, with Johnson scoring a brilliant free-kick 15 minutes from time to double the lead and with it the points.

To put icing on the cake for the travelling supporters, Mo Eisa was given a 12 minute run-out at the end too to mark his return after six months on the sidelines after ankle surgery.

The hosts threw on former Dons Chuks Aneke and Conor McGrandles to try and alter the course of things, to no avail as Dons ended their five-match losing streak in style.

Referee: Neil Hair

Attendance: 12,328 (400)

Charlton Athletic: Wollacott, Dobson (McGrandles 87), O'Connell, Stockley (Aneke 73), Kirk (Sessegnon 73), Rak-Sakyi, Egbo, Fraser (Morgan 80), Inniss, Clre, Campbell (Payne 46)

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Thomas, Morgan

MK Dons: Cumming, Lewington, O’Hora, Jules, Harvie, Lawrence (Smith 85), McEachran (Burns 80), Johnson, Holland, Barry (Devoy 75), Grigg (Eisa 78)

Subs not used: Ravizzoli, Tucker, Dennis

Booked: Inness

Sent off: Inness