Return to winning ways for Dons as they see off strugglers Shrewsbury

A patchwork MK Dons got back to winning ways on Saturday as they beat struggling Shrewsbury Town 2-1 at Croud Meadow.

Scott Hogan’s first goal of the season came after just three minutes to put the visitors, chasing their first win in four, in front before Will Collar netted his first for the club six minutes before the break to cement their control.

Not a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination, the second-half played out in scrappy fashion before ex-Dons striker Chuks Aneke came off the bench to pull one back for the home side to make for a nervous final 14 minutes as Paul Warne’s side hung on for a much-needed victory.

The win lifts Dons to ninth in League Two while the Shrews remain in the bottom two.

With injuries the story of the season so far for MK Dons, the latest came in the form of Connor Lemonheigh-Evans. The make-shift right-back missed out on the squad in Shropshire, forcing Paul Warne into yet another reshuffle. Short defensively, Callum Paterson was called from centre-forward to centre-back to play as part of a back-three, with Laurence Maguire making his first league start of the season.

Will Collar and Scott Hogan both came into the side, and it would be the pair who would put Dons in control by the half-time interval as both netted their first goals of the season.

Hogan’s came after just three minutes when Paterson’s long throw was flicked on by skipper Alex Gilbey, leaving the ex-Birmingham City man with a routine finish at the far-post.

With Dons very much a make-shift side for the game, there were the inevitable scrappy moments which threatened to let Shrewsbury back into the game. Ismeal Kabia on a number of occasions floated across Dons’ backline to cause problems, but he was more often than not alone in his charge and his attempts fell to pink away shirts.

With a bit more control in midfield than a week earlier, Dan Crowley was pulling the strings for the visitors, while Rushian Hepburn-Murphy was also having flashes on the left-flank.

And with six minutes to go before the break, Collar would cement Dons’ advantage, tapping home when Aaron Nemane’s effort was spilled into his path by keeper Will Brook, leaving the ex-Stockport man with a simple finish.

Much like the first-half, the second was an ugly affair and not one really to write home about for either side.

Nemane was perhaps unlucky not to put the game to bed when Mendez-Laing’s cross bounced kindly into his path, firing wide of the post from 10 yards, while Hepburn-Murphy had a couple of half-sights of goal but ultimately took one too many touches and allowed Shrewsbury off the hook without testing keeper Brook.

Former Dons striker Chuks Aneke came on with 25 minutes to go, and almost typically gave his old club a headache with 14 minutes to go, blasting home from just inside the box to make for a nervy finale for the visitors.

But despite the lift from the home fans, who were on the backs of their side for the majority of the match, only a Will Boyle header really gave Craig MacGillivray anything to worry about as Dons went on to claim the win.

Referee: Martin Coy

Attendance:

Shrewsbury Town: Brook, Hoole, Boyle, Clucas, McDermott (Aneke 65), Sang (England 89), Perry (Biggins 65), Kabia, Stubbs, Marquis, Ihionvien (Lloyd 46)

Subs not used: Harrison, Scully, Nsiala,

MK Dons: MacGillivray, Ekpiteta, Maguire, Paterson, Gilbey, Crowley (Kelly 82), Collar, Hepburn-Murphy, Nemane, Mendez-Laing (Leko 85), Hogan (Thompson-Sommers 73)

Subs not used: Trueman, Tripp, Domi, Medwynter

Booked: Ihionvien, Hoole