Unlikely Dons come from behind to snatch fifth win in a row

Ellis Harrison’s 20 minutes cameo for MK Dons saw them come from behind to win a fifth league game in row as they beat Cheltenham Town 3-2 at Stadium MK.

Trailing 2-0 thanks to early goals from Luke Young and George Miller, Dons managed to pull one back through Alex Gilbey to go in 2-1 down at the break.

But it was not until Harrison’s introduction with 20 minutes to do did Dons look like getting anything from the game. He bundled home the equaliser five minutes after coming on, following a great burst from Scott Hogan, before winning the initial header for Laurence Maguire to win it with six minutes to go.

The win, Dons’ fifth in a row in League Two, lifts them to fifth, just a point off the automatic promotion spots.

After the midweek defeat in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, Scott Lindsey picked up a third booking for the season and was banned for the game. But he named an unchanged side from the win over Swindon Town. Liam Kelly returned amongst the substitutes, while midweek goal-scorer Callum Hendry was named on the bench on his road to recovery from injury.

Conceding early goals have been par for the course recently for Dons, and despite surviving an early scare when George Miller tripped over his own feet, the hosts would once again fall behind not long after kick-off. A free-kick down by the corner flag was hooked out to Luke Young hovering on the edge of the box to fire through a crowd, and deflect past keeper Tom McGill to give the visitors the lead after just six minutes.

Set pieces would be Dons undoing in the opening stages as they would soon be 2-0 down seven minutes later when Tom Bradbury got on the end of a free-kick clipped into the box, and he had the freedom of the borough to head across for Miller to tap in from close range.

It could have been even worse for the home side when McGill opted to pass into a corridor of four Cheltenham players on the edge of his box, but Miller has strayed offside when he got the ball, sparing the keeper's blushes.

Dons barely had time to dwell on it though, as the ball was fired up field, and after strong work from Scott Hogan on the right, teed up Alex Gilbey to swipe home from six yards to get the hosts back into contention with 22 minutes played.

The goal shifted momentum back in Dons' favour, but they would struggle to carve many clear-cut chances. Gilbey and Joe Tomlinson would both have efforts deflected wide of the mark, while Hogan would provide more of a threat down the flanks than in front of goal.

The home side would be dealt another blow just before half-time when MJ Williams - Dons' best player until that point - limped out, to be replaced by Dean Lewington.

That change was swiftly followed up by two more at the break as Tomlinson and Thompson-Sommers made way for Callum Hendry and returning Liam Kelly as Dons sought a way back into the game.

But that was did not look immediately obvious, in fact it looked as though it left Dons on the back foot. Struggling to make inroads, it was not until the introduction of Ellis Harrison with 20 minutes to go did they look as though they would get back on level terms, and that they did five minutes later.

Winning the initial header to unleash Hogan, Harrison continued his run to keep up with his strike partner as he rounded the keeper, the ball bobbling up into the path of the Welshman to bundle in the equaliser.

And the winner four minutes from time was a similarly scrappy one as Harrison won the header from White's corner, and Laurence Maguire was on hand to sweep home through a crowd of players to turn the game on it's head.

Referee: Jacob Miles

Attendance: 7,333 (458)

MK Dons: McGill, Maguire, Offord, Williams (Lewington 45), Tomlinson (Hendry 46), Nemane, White, Thompson-Sommers (Kelly 46), Gilbey, Wearne (Harrison 69), Hogan

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Pritchard, Leigh

Cheltenham Town: Day, Kinsella, Bradbury, Young, Miller (Shipley 79), Thomas (Pett 88), Colwill (Dulson 68), Bennett, Bakare (Bowman 88) , Archer, Payne (Taylor 88)

Subs not used: Evans, Sohna

Booked: Thompson-Sommers