MK Dons lifted the League 2 championship after an entertaining 1-1 draw against Morecambe in front of a record League 2 attendance.
A crowd of 17,250 turned out at stadiummk to see the Dons collect their second piece of silverware this year, just a month after winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley.
Aaron Wilbraham's 10th goal of the season looked to have finished the Dons' season with a win, but a header from substitute Michael Twiss ensured Sammy McIlroy's side left Milton Keynes with a point from a spirited display.
Played with the freedom offered to both teams with their respective fates decided - the Dons already champions and Morecambe safely in mid-table - it proved an exciting afternoon filled with attacking football as the Dons extended their unbeaten run to 18 league games.
The point means Paul Ince's men finish the season five points clear of second-placed Peterborough and can head for League 1 with a glittering league and cup Double in the trophy cabinet.
Indeed, the Dons manager's team selection suggested he already had half an eye on the new campaign, as he took the opportunity to look at some of his squad players while resting some first team regulars.
With skipper Keith Andrews, leading scorer Mark Wright and the outstanding Lloyd Dyer left on the substitutes' bench, a door was opened to the likes of Luke Howell, John Miles and debutant Craig Dobson.
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Aaron Wilbraham celebrates his 10th goal of the season. |
Howell will have done himself no harm, picking up the sponsors' Man of the Match award for a performance which saw him play both in central midfield and at right-back.
But while stadiummk had something of a carnival atmosphere about it, Morecambe did their best to spoil the party in the early stages.
Having probed the Dons' backline from both flanks, particularly through the impressive Garry Thompson, the visitors fashioned the first decent chance of the game on six minutes.
Carl Baker found himself some space down the right and, having twisted and turned to make space inside the box, saw his left-foot shot blocked by the feet of Willy Gueret.
Thompson and Baker were proving a pair of real livewires in the early exchanges and nearly combined to great effect again when Baker spotted his team-mate in space from a quick free-kick.
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Craig Dobson made his Dons debut after joining the Club in January. |
Thompson pulled the long ball under control and turned inside Sean O'Hanlon before curling his shot just past Gueret's far post.
Dons started to shake the party mood out of their heads and Dean Lewington went close with a moderately-deflected free-kick before Alan Navarro's effort was blocked after good link-up play between Wilbraham and Miles.
But on the break the visitors looked dangerous and when the ever-elusive Thompson slid Craig Stanley into space down the right, his cross had to be expertly gathered by the diving Gueret.
While showing a few glimpses of his talent, it was obvious that this was Dobson's first game since a groin operation recently, typified on 35 minutes when he brilliantly beat Henry McStay on halfway, but lacked acceleration to make use of the space in behind.
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John Miles puts the Dons on the attack. |
With their influence on the game growing, Dons took the lead five minutes before the break with a move started and finished by the intelligence of Wilbraham.
Seeing Johnson running into traffic through the centre, the Dons striker provided a perfect screen on Garry Hunter to give the American an avenue out and as Johnson prepared to shoot, Wilbraham was on the move.
Johnson's effort was blocked, it broke to Wilbraham in the box and the former Stockport man coolly lifted it over the advancing Shwan Jalal for his seventh goal in his last six stadiummk appearances.
Morecambe hardly deserved to be trailing at the break but upon Dyer's introduction at the break, they were suddenly on the back foot.
Dyer's pace frightened the life out of full-back Danny Adams, who retreated deeper and deeper to prevent the Dons man getting in behind him.
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Manager Paul Ince leads the trophy parade around stadiummk. |
Danny Swailes forced Jalal into a good save when he got on the end of a Lewington corner and, when Jude Stirling hurled the resulting throw into the box, O'Hanlon's header was fractionally too high.
Dyer had claims for a penalty against Twiss waved away when the winger thought he was tripped but Morecambe could sense blue sky at the end of the storm and started to get bodies forward again.
Baker saw a curling effort beaten away by Gueret, who also had to plunge low to keep our David Artell's header two minutes later.
But Morecambe made a breakthrough on 78 minutes, inevitably with Thompson at its source.
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Dons Chairman Pete Winkelman celebrates the season's trophy haul. |
The winger made inroads down the Morecambe right before standing a cross to the far post. Jim Bentley headed back across goal and Twiss was in the six-yard-box to head into the roof of the net.
Wilbraham thought he'd won it three minutes later when he turned on a loose ball inside the area but his chip over Jalal ended up in the side netting.
There was still time for one electrifying run from Dyer into the Morecambe half, going past four defenders before Bentley finally blocked his shot.
But a draw was probably fair on a day when the party always looked bigger than the game itself.
The celebrating of an historic season may go some way into the night, but after the year they've had who's to argue.
MK Dons: Gueret, Stirling, Lewington, O'Hanlon, Dobson (Dyer 46), Wilbraham, Miles, Navarro, Howell, Johnson (Wright 75), Swailes (Andrews 56).
Subs Not Used: Abbey, Hadfield.
Booked: Howell, Lewington, O'Hanlon.
Goals: Wilbraham 41
Morecambe: Jalal, Artell, Bentley, Stanley, Hunter, Baker, Thompson, McLachlan (Twiss 58), Blinkhorn (Curtis 65), McStay (Yates 42), Adams.
Subs Not Used: Lloyd, Scott Davies.
Booked: Adams
Goals: Twiss 78
Attendance: 17,250
Referee: Paul Armstrong (Berkshire)
