League Two: Fleetwood Town 1-1 MK Dons

MK Dons let the chance to lift the League Two trophy through their fingers after being held to a 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town on Saturday, allowing Bromley to claim the crown.

While Callum Paterson’s 16th goal of the season cancelled out Ronan Coughlan’s excellent overhead kick to give the Cod Army the lead at Highbury Stadium, Bromley, who only relinquished top spot last weekend to Dons, were 3-1 winners over Walsall at Hayes Lane to see them leapfrog Paul Warne’s side at the end.

Paul Warne named an unchanged team for the trip to Fleetwood, knowing a win would see them win the league. But the opening 45 minutes would not go to plan.

Dons made a decent fist of the opening exchanges though, with Joe Tomlinson firing a volley over the top, and Gethin Jones heading wide of the mark early on.

Fleetwood though, who could finish no higher than 14th in League Two were out to spoil the party though and fired a warning shot across the Dons stern when Ronan Coughlan got the better of Tomlinson to fire across the face of goal, needing a good save from Craig MacGillivray.

The Fleetwood front-man though would put the cat amongst the pigeons midway through the first-half, with brilliant overhead kick to fire the hosts in front, leaving the travelling support shellshocked.

With eyes on Hayes Lane, a draw would have been enough to still secure Dons the title but in the 37th minute in both games, things would change.

Slid in by Ben Wiles, Callum Paterson would fire past keeper Jay Lynch to equalise for the visiting side but in London, Ben Thompson would give Bromley the lead too, with the scene changing to send the trophy en route to London.

As Bromley stretched their lead through the second-half, going on to win 3-1 in south London, it was left to Dons to get the goal which would divert the course of the league.

But try as they might, they could not find a way through.

Alex Gilbey, Joe Tomlinson and Liam Kelly would all blast hopelessly over the crossbar, never really testing keeper Jay Lynch who was never really forced into a meaningful save.

It meant Dons’ aims to win the title fell short at the very death, but they will play League One football next season.

Referee: Stephen Parkinson

Attendance: 4,477 (1,239)

Fleetwood Town: Lynch, Bolton (Cirino 74), Potter, Bonds, Davies (Devonport 82), Helm (McLean 82), Ennis, Holgate, Coughlan (Morrison 89), Neal, Powell

Subs not used: Hewitson, Osong, Virtue

MK Dons: MacGillivray, Sanders (Offord 82), Ekpiteta, Nelson (Collins 66), Tomlinson, Jones (Nemane 61), Kelly (Crowley 82), Gilbey, Wiles, Mendez-Laing (Hepburn-Murphy 61), Paterson

Subs not used: Trueman, Lemonheigh-Evans