League One: Oxford United 2-2 MK Dons

Cieran Brown’s stoppage time equaliser denied MK Dons an opening day victory on their return to League One, drawing 2-2 with Oxford United.

Two goals in five first-half minutes saw Dons come from behind, cancelling out Mark Harris’ 20th minute opener, with Charlie Goode and Aaron Collins getting on the scoresheet.

Oxford piled on the pressure late on, and snatched a point at the death via Brown inside the six-yard box to deny Paul Warne’s side the full compliment.

After experimenting with a back four in the Carabao Cup defeat to Norwich City last week, Warne opted to revert to the tried and tested back three as part of three changes to his side. The sale of Liam Kelly to Peterborough promoted a change in midfield, handing Dan Barlaser his first start for the club, while Marvin Ekpiteta came back in at the back, while Callum Paterson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing were on the bench as Aaron Collins led the line alongside Sam Nombe.

Both sides are new to the division this season, with Oxford coming down and Dons up, and both looked eager to stamp their mark quickly in the early kick-off. The opening 15 minutes passed in a blur of end-to-end football, with both defences looking on shaky ground at times, though neither really gave up much of a chance.

Three of Norwich’s four goals against Dons in the Carabao Cup came from defensive errors, and so it would be for Oxford’s opener as well after 20 minutes. Siriki Dembele was allowed to run clear before feeding Brodie Spencer to shoot. Ekpiteta got a block in and though it fell to Cohen Bramall, his touch fell nearly for Mark Harris, ten yards out, to pick his spot past Craig MacGillivray.

After riding the storm as Oxford got their tails up, Dons recovered and would turn the occasion on its head with two goals in five minutes. The first came when Charlie Goode’s header, which he directed across goal, caused issue for ex-Dons stopper Jamie Cumming to saw it sail over his head for the equaliser on 29 minutes.

Five minutes later they were ahead. Dembele tried to do too much in his own penalty area and was mugged by the impressive Ryan Wintle, clipping the ball to the far post for Aaron Collins to rise above the defence and head in.

Into the second-half, the Welshman would have two great chances to put the game to bed, heading Gethin Jones’ cross just wide before seeing another header come back off the frame of goal.

As both sides made changes, Oxford piled on the pressure is search of the equaliser but did not really create a huge amount to trouble MacGillivray - a Harris effort deflected wide as close as they came.

Dons though should have been high and dry heading into stoppage time when Wiles bravely won a header and set substitute Nathaniel Mendez-Laing clean through on goal. Inexplicably though, when one-on-one with Cumming, he opted to square to Wintle who was not in on the plan, the ball went out of his reach and the chance went begging.

And Dons would be made to pay for it in the fifth minute of stoppage time as their defensive resolve finally broke as Cieran Brown snatched a point, poking home from two yards out to share the spoils.

Referee: Ollie Yates

Attendance: 10,964 (1,493)

Oxford United: Cumming, Long, Brown, Brannagan, Harris, Emakhu, Goodram, Spencer (Kioso 78), McDonnell (O’Donkor 64), Dembele (Missanga 78), Currie

Subs not used: Eastwood, Helik, Snowden, Sibley

MK Dons: MacGillivray, Ekpiteta, Goode (Sanders 77), Nelson, Bramall, Jones, Barlaser (Matete 74), Wintle, Wiles, Collins (Mendez-Laing 69), Nombe (Paterson 74)

Subs not used: Stacey, Crowley, Troso

Booked: Ekpiteta, Brannagan, Goode, Matete