Honours even as Dons and bottom club Carlisle share the spoils

MK Dons were held to a 2-2 draw by bottom club Carlisle United in a thriller at Brunton Park on Tuesday.

Leading through Joe Tomlinson’s sixth minute strike, Dons’ strong defensive resolve from Saturday was not on show in Cumbria and the familiar face of Matt Dennis nodded United level 20 minutes later.

Alex Gilbey saw an effort cleared off the line before rolling in Dons’ second seven minutes before the break, but Kadeem Harris lashed through a crowd in first-half stoppage time to draw the hosts level.

The game flowed from end-to-end in the second-half, with chances few and far between, but neither side were able to make it back-to-back wins.

After Callum Hendry limped out of Saturday's win over Cheltenham Town, Ben Gladwin was forced into a single change to his side to face bottom club Carlisle United as Aaron Nemane returned to the fold. Teenager Keon Lewis-Burgess was named on the bench for the first time, having made four appearances in the EFL Trophy in the last two seasons.

With both sides chasing back-to-back wins, Dons made an early breakthrough to take the lead against division's bottom club, striking after just six minutes. Nemane, returning after injury, burst down the right to put it on a plate for Joe Tomlinson to score his fourth of the season to give the visitors the early advantage.

And they looked good value for it too, comfortably controlling the opening 20 minutes of the game, threatening in behind on a couple of occasions but never really testing keeper Gabriel Breeze.

Two former Dons started for United, with Stephen Wearne and Matt Dennis lining up for the home side, and it would be the latter who would get one over on the hand which once fed him on 26 minutes, heading home after a routine ball into the box from Kadeem Harris.

It rekindled life into the home side and the supporters, who roared their team on as they sought their first back-to-back wins for two years. But they were given a warning when Alex Gilbey saw an effort blocked on the line after good work again from Nemane down the right.

The skipper, incredulous how he didn't score, did restore the lead seven minutes from the break though when he caught Terrell Thomas napping, rounding Breeze to make it 2-1.

Appearing to be cruising into half-time though, Dons left the door ajar for Carlisle to capitalise. Unable to clear the ball fully, Harris lashed in from just inside the box in the third minute of stoppage time to draw level again, before Jordan Jones drew an excellent save out of Trueman at the very end of the half, leaving the game finely poised for the second-half.

While the game felt tense throughout, the second-half did not deliver the same in terms of goals, but was an end-to-end affair.

The hosts, in desperate need of points to aid their bid to get out of the drop zone, were desperately keen to get forwards, but while they threatened to threaten, there was not a whole lot for Trueman to be too concerned with.

Likewise though could be said for Breeze in the Carlisle net. The best of the chances in fact came when substitute Jonathan Leko nicked the ball off Tomlinson's toe when faced with what could have been a tap-in.

Referee: Edward Duckworth

Attendance: 6,679 (134)

Carlisle United: Breeze, Davies, Harper, Thomas, Lavelle, Jones (Bevan 87), Vela (G Kelly 77), Dennis, Wearne (Guy 87), Harris, Whelan (Fusire 87)

Subs not used: Lewis, Ellis, Embleton

MK Dons: Trueman, Sanders, Maguire, Offord, Nemane (Leko 73), Tomlinson, Lemonheigh-Evans, White (L Kelly 55), Crowley (O'Reilly 88), Gilbey, Orsi

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Tripp, Waller, Lewis-Burgess

Booked: Vela, Nemane