Late goals secure MK Dons victory over Gillingham

A far from fluid MK Dons scored twice late on to beat Gillingham 2-1 at Stadium MK on Saturday, cementing themselves in the League Two play-off spots.

In a poor game, it needed MJ Williams' first goal for the club to kick the game into life with 12 minutes to go, before Alex Gilbey added a second with two minutes remaining. Substitute Josh Walker bundled one over the line at the death and then hit the bar in stoppage time for the visitors, but Dons held on to secure the points.

The win sees Dons remain sixth in the table, but now have a six-point cushion between themselves and Gillingham who occupy eighth spot just outside the play-off spots.

Lewis Bate was handed his first start for the club after joining on loan from Leeds United last week. He was one of two changes, with Daniel Harvie also returning to the side ahead of injured Cameron Norman, while Ethan Robson was named on the bench. Stephen Wearne too was amongst the substitutes for the first time since signing from Gateshead earlier this month.

After the emotion and effort poured into the game on Tuesday night when Dons beat AFC Wimbledon, they seemed off the boil in almost every department against Gillingham in the first-half.

Keeper Filip Marschall was yet to fill the home supporters with confidence after errors in his first couple of games did little to calm those nerves in the opening 10 minutes when he twice got caught out, almost repeating the mistake which allowed AFC Wimbledon to score their only goal, before almost getting caught in possession a few minutes later, firing his clearance against Oliver Hawkins.

After creating 65 changes on goal in the last three matches, Dons struggled to even do that in a tepid opening half, where the attacking players appeared on different wavelengths. Alex Gilbey, Max Dean and Jack Payne all had strikes on goal, with keeper Jake Turner called into action to deny the former duo before the break.

The second-half threatened to burst into life when Dan Kemp forced Turner into a save within 20 seconds of the restart, but the game quickly reverted to type as the hosts struggled to even get out of their own defensive third at times.

Gillingham, sensing a chance of victory, began to up their tempo but never really gave Marschall much to be overly concerned with.

With the clock ticking down, the final 12 minutes would see things turn on its head. Dons, who had barely troubled Turner in the second-half, won a corner and with Gillingham unable to clear, MJ Williams swung a right boot at it, finding the bottom corner to give Dons the lead.

That lead was doubled when substitute Stephen Wearne, making his first appearance for the club after signing from Gateshead, burst down the right and skipped over Shadrach Ogie's challenge to put it on a plate for Alex Gilbey to fire in from close range with two minutes to go.

The finale would not be a comfortable one though, with Gillingham pulling one back through substitute Josh Walker as the clock ticked over to 90 minutes, with the front man then hitting the bar a couple of minutes later as Dons held on to claim their second win in a week.

Referee: Carl Brook

Attendance: 6,723 (1,380)

MK Dons: Marschall, O'Hora, Lewington, Williams, Tomlinson, Harvie, Payne, Bate (Robson 75), Gilbey, Kemp (Wearne 76), Dean (Harrison 81)

Subs not used: Kelly, Eisa, Smith, Lofthouse

Gillingham: Turner, Hutton, Masterson (Diang 83), Ogie, Ehmer, Malone, Coleman, Jefferies (J Williams 84), Mahoney (Walker 63), Nadesan (Lapslie 62) , Hawkins (Bonne 43)

Subs not used: Morris, Clark, Walker

Booked: Payne