Pre-season: Barnet 0-0 MK Dons

MK Dons twice hit the bar as they had to settle for an entertaining goal-less draw with Barnet at The Hive on Tuesday night.

Ben Wiles looked for an audacious chip in the first-half before Sam Nombe header at the very end - the best of his three chances - cannoned off the frame as Dons were denied a win.

Barnet were no slouches though and gave the visitors a firm test, hitting the woodwork themselves in the first-half as they sought the opener.

It was a strong line-up named by Paul Warne for the game against the League Two side who, just a few months prior, gave his side the run-around at Stadium MK in a 3-1 win.

From the first whistle, it was a full-blooded encounter as Barnet burst out of the box early on, twice giving keeper Craig MacGillivray something to do, keeping the hosts at bay.

With the visitors looking to play long and capitalise on the pace of Brooklyn Kazungu and Cohen Bramall on the flanks, it meant the likes of Callum Paterson and Ben Wiles were playing for knock-downs, which were few and far between in the early exchanges.

But it would be Wiles who would have the first opening of the half when he picked up on one of Paterson’s headers, and spotting keeper Matthew Cox off his line, went to lob the keeper but saw it come back off the bar.

Barnet though would maintain a fierce pace throughout the half and had Dons penned in their own box for spells. Craig Farquhar forced a good save from MacGillivray before the Scottish keeper brilliantly denied Jack Maskell not once but twice the opener.

Barnet would then hit the bar before the break when a well-worked free-kick came out to Charlie Lakin to bend goalwards, but he too was denied by the frame,

The final action of the half though would fall to Dons as Charlie Goode’s header was well-tipped over the top by Cox.

Making eight changes at the break completely swung the tide firmly in Dons’ favour. Sam Nombe almost immediately made his impact felt by drawing a save from Cox, while Aaron Collins too made Cox earn his crust with a decent shot on the turn.

Dons boss Warne certainly felt his side should have had a second-half penalty too when Jack Sanders was hauled back and denied a clean header on goal.

The onslaught on Barnet’s goal continued through with Nombe’s overhead kick well saved by Cox, who then denied Dan Crowley but was at full stretch to see efforts from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Simone Troso over the top.

The final action of the game came courtesy of a Liam Kelly corner, which Nombe thundered against the bar as he rose above the Barnet defence.

MK Dons first-half: MacGillivray, Goode, Ekpiteta, Nelson, Kazungu, Bramall, Wiles, Wintle, Barlaser, Hepburn-Murphy, Paterson

MK Dons second-half: MacGillivray, Nelson (Burke 73), Sanders, Jones, Troso, Kazungu (Mendez-Laing 65), Crowley, Kelly, Collar, Collins, Nombe