Parrott bags a brace as Dons cruise to fifth win in a row

Troy Parrott netted a popular brace as MK Dons made it five wins in a row on Tuesday night, brushing plucky Cheltenham aside 3-1 at Stadium MK.

The Irish international had been waiting since September since his last League One goal, but his work-horse performances this year have made him a fan-favourite as Dons have hit their recent purple patch, so his header on 26 minutes was met with a huge ovation.

Two minutes later, Mo Eisa added his fourth goal in as many starts to hammer home Dons’ advantage, but they allowed Cheltenham an opportunity to get back into it by falling off their game in the second period, needing Jamie Cumming on a couple of occasions to keep the Robins at bay.

Parrott though would steal the headlines with a second of the game five minutes from time, before Will Boyle’s last minute consolation.

The win, Dons’ fifth in a row, moves them level on points with Wigan Athletic in second spot ahead of their trip to Stadium MK on Saturday in what is shaping up to be a mouth-watering occasion.

After their stunning 2-1 win over Rotherham on Saturday, Liam Manning made three changes to his side. Daniel Harvie's suspension meant a return for Kaine Kesler-Hayden, while Matt Smith made his first appearance since his debut last month against Fleetwood, and Theo Corbeanu also came into the side. Josh McEachran and Scott Twine dropped to the bench, perhaps with half-an-eye on Saturday's mouth-watering match against second-placed Wigan Athletic.

Riding a crest of a wave of late, Dons relatively cruised through the opening 45 minutes against Cheltenham, who themselves were in decent form too. Barely giving the visitors a sniff, Dons had to be patient in their build-up and found chances hard to come by.

When they came though, they came in quick succession and the first of them gave Dons the biggest roar of the night. Troy Parrott's wait for a goal had been long and much spoken about, but he headed Dons in front after 26 minutes, getting on the end of Smith's cross.

Barely had the dust settled on the celebrations before Harry Darling chipped the ball through the centre for Mo Eisa to race onto, and he did not need a second invitation to send Owen Evans the wrong way and double the lead two minutes later.

The unlikely source of Warren O'Hora probably should have made it 3-0 five minutes later when he tore through the centre of the park, shrugging off Aaron Ramsey, exchanging a one-two with Tennai Watson who was with him in support, but the Irishman fired straight at the keeper.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden was once again a stand-out performer as he came back into the side, cutting in from the left flank on more than one occasion and giving Cheltenham's defensive line a real headache.

For all their confidence and swagger in the first half though, Dons were unable to really put the game to bed in the second period and in fact, looked second best to Cheltenham for long periods.

Jamie Cumming had to be alert as he tipped over a close-range effort, while Dons were more than a little fortunate to survive a penalty shout against Dean Lewington when the ball bounced up into the skipper's hand.

Though Dons barely found their first half fluidity again, though the introduction of the lively Dan Kemp did give them a slightly different dimension. And on more than one occasion he was left frustrated when his team-mates didn't pick him out, though he could not be too disappointed when Parrott was slid in by Theo Corbeanu with five minutes to go, and the Irishman opted to go it alone as he stuck away his second of the night to put the result beyond doubt.

There was still time though for Cheltenham to grab a late consolation when WIll Boyle headed past Cumming in the last minute.

Referee: Craig Hicks

Attendance: 6,394

MK Dons: Cumming, Watson (Kemp 62), Lewington, O'Hora, Darling, Kesler-Hayden, Coventry, Smith, Corbeanu, Parrott, Eisa

Subs not used: Ravizzoli, Kasumu, Twine, McEachran, Boateng, Davies

Cheltenham Town: Evans, Pollock (Long 46), Raglan, Sercombe, May, Boyle, Wright, Blair (Bonds 88), Ramsey (A Williams 73), B Williams, Colkett

Subs not used: Flinders, Freestone, Chapman, Soule

Booked: May