Payne's penalty breaks Dons' hearts as Colchester snatch victory

When it rains it pours for MK Dons as former loanee Jack Payne scored a late penalty and Callum Hendry was sent off in a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat to Colchester United on Saturday.

In a markedly improved performance from recent weeks, both sides hit the woodwork in the second-half as the game looked to be heading towards an entertaining goal-less draw. But when substitute Kane Thompson-Sommers was deemed to have handled in the box with four minutes to go, Payne stuck his penalty down the middle to win it.

There was more drama to come for Dons when Hendry caught Kane Vincent-Young in stoppage time, earning him a straight red card to only add to the pain.

After calling him back from his loan spell at Gateshead earlier this week, Callum Tripp went straight back into Scott Lindsey's side to face Colchester as part of two changes to the side. Joe White also returned to the fold after injury, meaning Scott Hogan dropped to the bench while Nico Lawrence was out of the squad completely.

While it has been a difficult period for the home side of late, their first-half performance was as good as they have played for a long while. Though there were precious few chances, admittedly for both sides in the opening 45 minutes, Dons looked a cohesive unit, on the same page and eager to get control of the game.

Though neither really had total control of it, the game ebbed and flowed nicely, with Dan Crowley and Liam Kelly showing flashes of creativity in behind Alex Gilbey and Danilo Orsi. Both front men though would miss the target from the edge of the box, as close as either side would come before the break.

The second-half would follow much the same pattern, with both sides looking eager go on and snatch the game. It would be the visitors who would look the most threatening in the opening 20 minutes after the restart, coming closest when John-Kymani Gordon's right-footed effort thumped the post with Trueman at full-stretch.

Scott Lindsey made attacking changes, introducing Scott Hogan and Callum Hendry and both would have a say in the closing stages. Hogan would carve Dons' best chances of the game when he charged from half-way to the edge of the box, firing left-footed for what would have been a goal of the season contender only to see it canon off the upright.

The game, entertaining as it was, looked as though it would finish goal-less though until, with four minutes to go, Dons were dealt a killer blow when substitute Kane Thompson-Sommers was adjudged to have handled in the box, allowing ex-Dons loanee Jack Payne to roll the ball down the middle to win it.

Worse was to come in stoppage time when Hendry caught Colchester's Kane Vincent-Young high, earning him a straight red card.

Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Attendance: 8,002 (1,330)

MK Dons: Trueman, Tripp, Waller, Offord, Nemane (O'Reilly 79), Patterson, Kelly (Thompson-Sommers 84), White (Hendry 66), Gilbey, Crowley, Orsi(Hogan 66)

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Tomlinson, Lemonheigh-Evans

Colchester United: Macey, Iandolo, Kelleher, Flanagan, Anderson (Thorn 62), Tovide (Simpson 62), Payne, Gordon (Aboh 84), McDonnell, Egbo (Read 72), Taylor (Vincent-Young 72)

Subs not used: Smith, Hunt

Booked: White, Gordon, Trueman

Sent off: Hendry