Goal-less start to life at MK Dons for Warne

The Paul Warne era at MK Dons got underway at Stadium MK on Good Friday with a goal-less draw with Newport County.

With both sides tentatively looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone, the game had precious little in the way of chances, though Connor Lemonheigh-Evans came closest to giving Warne a win at the first time of asking when he clipped a second-half stroke off the post.

Results elsewhere mean Dons are still not mathematically safe from the drop yet, seven points from the bottom two with three games to go, dropping to 20th.

Injury to Alex Gilbey meant he missed out in Paul Warne’s first game in charge of Dons. It meant Liam Kelly came into the side as the only change to the one which was beaten by Gillingham last Saturday, as goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray kept his place in the side.

Those expecting a snorter of a start under the new boss were not treated to such in the opening half at Stadium MK. Despite starting with a head of steam, Dons would quickly go off the boil, while Newport did little to cause Craig MacGillivray any bother either.

The only real blot on the copybook would be after Callum Hendry, who has suffered plenty of injury setbacks this season, took a blow early on, and despite limping on, would be forced off after just half-an-hour, replaced by Danilo Orsi.

The second-half would follow a similar path, though Dons would be the ones who looked in control for the majority of it.

Connor Lemonheigh-Evans swapped to the right-flank as Tommi O’Reilly was replaced at the break by Joe White, and it was the Welshman who came closest to opening the scoring with a powerful run to the edge of the box, and though it bobbled back off him fortuitously, his curling effort came back off the post.

With neither side really looking capable of finding a way through, goal-less was absolutely the right result.

Referee: Abigail Byrne

Attendance: 8,135

MK Dons: MacGillivray, Sanders, Offord, Maguire, Tomlinson, O’Reilly (White 46), Thompson-Sommers, Lemonheigh-Evans, Kelly (Leko 72), Hendry (Orsi 31), Hogan

Subs not used: Trueman, Nemane, Tripp, Waller

Newport County: Townsend, Thomas, Baker, Clarke (Warner 78), McLoughlin, Brennan, Antwi, Whitmore (Evans 62), Spellman (Ajiboye 78), Baker-Richardson (Hudlin 62), Kamwa

Subs not used: Webb, Patten, Martin

Booked: Thompson-Sommers, Maguire, Lemonheigh-Evans, O’Reilly, Baker-Richardson, Hudlin