Five-star Dons upset Wrexham on their return to Football League

The League Two era at MK Dons got underway in stunning fashion as they ran out 5-3 winners at much-fancied Wrexham on Saturday.

Two goals in the opening 10 minutes - an own-goal and a Mo Eisa strike - put the visitors into uncharted waters after an unconvincing pre-season campaign, before Jacob Mendy pulled one back for the hosts just before half-time.

Jonathan Leko’s brace in the first 19 minutes of the second-half would further extend Dons lead before a frantic finale saw three goals scored. Jordan Davies made it 4-2 with eight minutes to go, before Daniel Harvie netted Dons’ fifth in stoppage time. Anthony Forde added Wrexham’s third even deeper into time added on.

On his return to the club after three years away, Alex Gilbey was handed the captain's armband by Graham Alexander for the season opener. The midfielder was one of five summer signings making their first starts, with Craig MacGillivray, Cameron Norman, Tommy Smith and MJ Williams also making their first competitive appearances for the club. Friday night's signing Ash Hunter was amongst the substitutes.

With Wrexham the favourites to win the league at most bookmakers ahead of kick-off, not many would have backed the untested Dons to race into a 2-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes, but it's exactly what they did.

The first goal came after just six minutes when Eoghan O'Connell headed Ethan Robson's free-kick into his own net, before Mo Eisa danced his way through the challenges on the edge of the box to poke underneath Ben Foster four minutes later.

A shell-shocked Wrexham side, who did not lose a league game at the Racecourse Ground last season took time to settle into their stride after Dons' remarkable start, but began to find their way and though they had the lion's share of the ball, did little to trouble Craig MacGillivray.

Though Dons' attacking threats came in fits and spurts, they had a great chance to extend their lead when Jonathan Leko forced a fine stop from Foster with a strike from the edge of the box.

The hosts would get a goal back five minutes before the break though. MacGillivray could only parry Billy Waters' strike from the edge of the box, and it fell nicely for Jacob Mendy to fire back across the keeper and into the bottom corner.

While the Welsh side came out with the momentum behind them following that goal though, it would be Dons once more who would net early in the half. Jonathan Leko had shown flashes in the first-half but when he brought down the ball on the edge of the box and settled it onto his left foot, he fired low across keeper Foster to restore Dons' two-goal lead.

Incredibly, Leko would make it 4-1 just after the hour mark when he sprung the offside trap to get on the end of Eisa's ball, rounding Foster to poke in his second.

The result looked Dons' to lose from there but Wrexham continued to commit bodies forward and force the issue. It would not be until eight minutes from time that they would get one back though and it came from a cracking Jordan Davies strike from the edge of the box, arrowing past Alexander.

As the hosts sensed blood in the water and nerves crept into the travelling Dons support during the seven minutes of stoppage time, they need not have panicked as Daniel Harvie pinched the ball from James Jones and fired one right-footed past Foster for Dons' fifth.

Wrexham would pull another back two minutes later through Anthony Forde but it would be Dons claiming the points.

Referee: Tom Reeves

Attendance: 10,205 (1,115)

Wrexham: Foster, O'Connell, Tozer, O'Connor, Barnett (Forde 79), Jones, Cannon (Davies 61), Lee, Mendy (Hosannah 79), Waters (Palmer 61), Dalby (Bickerstaff 61)

Subs not used: Howard, Hayden

MK Dons: MacGillivray, Tucker, O’Hora, Norman, Smith, Harvie, Williams, Gilbey (c), Robson, Leko (Hunter 78), Eisa (Scholtz 90)

Subs not used: Harness, Holland, Ilunga, Anker, Devoy

Booked: Eisa, Lee, O'Connell, MacGillivray