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FULL-TIME: CARDIFF CITY 2 MK DONS 1
MK Dons bow out of the Carling Cup, but not without a fight against Championship Cardiff City.

A much-changed Dons side battled well against a Bluebirds side that reached the FA Cup final last season, and might have forced extra-time or better on another night.

In truth, Cardiff had the better of the 90 minutes on the whole but you can't help but wonder how different things might have been had the Dons reached the break with parity.

That they didn't was due to a penalty in first-half injury time when Diallo brought down Ricardo Scimeca and Ross McCormack dispatched past Willy Gueret.

Former Aston Villa winger Peter Whittingham made the tie safe just before the hour-mark with a terrific 30-yard free-kick that left the Dons needing a comeback of miraculous proportions.

Sean O'Hanlon gave them hope when he headed past Tom Heaton with 16 minutes to play, but the Bluebirds would hold on to secure passage to round three.

90+2mins - King does well to win a corner down the right but Johnson's delivery swings out and back in, causing the assistant's flag to go up.

90+1mins - Cardiff trying to keep the ball in the Dons corner but King steps in well to win his side a throw-in. They take it quickly and look to get straight down the other end.

89mins - Dons chasing down blue shirts in an attempt to force a late mistake but the whistle goes for a foul by Dobson on Roger Johnson which eases the pressure. Three minutes of added time.

86mins - Wonderful chance for Cardiff to finish it there as the Dons only half-clear a corner, Ledley clips it towards the far post from the right and Eddie Johnson, under no pressure at all, completely misses his kick six yards out.

84mins - Couple of corners for the Dons down the right, both taken by Jemal Johnson, the first headed over by Purse with O'Hanlon closing in and the second cleared at the near post by McPhail.

82mins - Ever-so-slightly nervous in the Cardiff defence as Dons work the ball right to left and Chicksen sends a driven, left-footed cross into the centre towards Baldock. Roger Johnson gets up to head it away but the ball hits Purse and almost gives Mitchell a chance. Dons are starting to up the pressure now.

80mins - Dons nearly caught on the break but some brilliant defending from Cummings keeps them in it. Parry lofts the ball over Cummings' head for McCormack to chase but Cummings chases back well to put pressure on the striker and his shot is sliced high over the bar on the half volley.

79mins - Ledley tries to get in on the free-kick act with a right-footed shot from 25 yards but Gueret holds on well to his right.

77mins - Determined run from Johnson against Comminges down the right. He looks to have lost out to the Cardiff defender but battles back to help Mitchell win possession. Mitchell feeds Johnson just inside the box down the right but the American's shot is far too high.

75mins - Cardiff almost restore the two-goal lead immediately as McCormack gets away down the inside right channel before seeing his clipped effort over an advancing Gueret come back off the near post. O'Hanlon's goal has brought the game back to life.

74mins - GOAL! CARDIFF CITY 2 MK DONS 1 - SEAN O'HANLON
Dons give themselves a lifeline in the game as a long free-kick into the Cardiff box is won comfortably in the air by O'Hanlon and Heaton's slip in the Cardiff goal sees the ball fly past him and into the net. Could the unlikely comeback be on?

71mins - McCormack brings the crowd to their feet as he chases a long ball down the line from Roger Johnson before cutting inside Diallo. The angle for a shot is improving all the time but McCormack slices high and wide as he loses his balance 14 yards from goal.

70mins - McCormack tries an outrageous shot from 45 yards with Gueret out of his ground but his radar is some way off as the ball sails wide.

68mins - A full Dons debut for King, who slots in at right-back and Shaun Cummings goes across to left-back. O'Hanlon is a straight swap for Stirling in central defence.

66mins - Double change for the Dons as Sean O'Hanlon and David King come on to replace Stirling and Lewington. O'Hanlon takes the armband.

64mins - Lovely little break from Johnson as he turns into space onto a pass from Cummings. Moving in field at pace with Parry at his back, Johnson slices his left-footed shot high and wide before appealing for a push from the man on his tail. Nothing given though.

63mins - Aah shades of the old Paul Mitchell coming back to his best. Comminges sells Ledley a little short down the Cardiff left and Mitchell crunches into the Cardiff man with a bone-shaking challenge just inside his own half. Ledley is furious, but with his own team mate rather than Mitchell - whose challenge was a legal one.

61mins - Que sera, sera is the song ringing around the home end at the moment. They've been there recently, as have the Dons, but it might be a little early for that in this competition.

58mins - GOAL! CARDIFF CITY 2 MK DONS 0 - PETER WHITTINGHAM
Well he had a sighter a few moments ago but this time Whittingham's free-kick is bang on the money. Stirling's foul on McCormack 30 yards from goal slightly right of centre is punished ultimately by the Cardiff winger, who whips a left-footed shot over the wall and inside Gueret's left-hand post.

56mins - Good football from the Dons as Cummings finds Navarro in the middle of the park, who quickly moves it out towards Chicksen on the left but the flag goes up for offside. Baldock sets off on a run at the Cardiff defence but ends up tricking himself as the ball gets caught under his feet and Comminges dispossesses him.

53mins - Baldock has had his work cut out so far against the massive Darren Purse. Credit to the Dons striker, he keeps coming back and he'll feel he only needs to get the better of him once, though it might be by speed of thought rather than physical force.

50mins - Dangerous free-kick given against the Dons on the edge of their own penalty area after a foul by Stirling on McCormack. Plenty interested in taking it. Whittingham took the free-kick left-footed and curled it just wide of the far post.

48mins - An early break and shot from Baldock aside, nothing of note from the opening few minutes in the second half. No changes at the break, Cardiff of course don't have any left to make.

8.52pm - SECOND HALF KICKS OFF

HALF-TIME: CARDIFF CITY 1 MK DONS 0
Cardiff lead the Dons at the break but it's been far from comfortable for the men from the Championship.

A much-changed Dons side has been a tough nut for Bluebirds to crack in the first half, defending with simple effectiveness and looking to break using the pace of Sam Baldock and the guile of Jemal Johnson.

Cardiff have had the better of the game in fairness, controlling possession for the most part and going close through both Peter Whittingham and debutant Eddie Johnson.

They took the lead from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time after Ricardo Scimeca was fouled in the area - Ross McCormack beating Willy Gueret from 12 yards.

It proved to be Scimeca's last action as he was stretchered off with what looked a serious injury. He was one of three Cardiff substitutions in the first half meaning that what they have, they have now got to the end.

The Dons have had their moments - Baldock nearly getting in from Navarro's pass and Johnson firing just wide before the break, but will be hard-pushed to break a solid-looking Cardiff defence.

45+4mins - Good response from the Dons as Baldock makes a break with the ball through the heart of the Cardiff defence and is strongly blocked by Purse. The loose ball breaks to Johnson on the right of the area and his low drive deflects just wide of the far post.

45+2mins - GOAL! CARDIFF CITY 1 MK DONS 0 - ROSS MCCORMACK (PEN)
McCormack sends Gueret the wrong way with a right-footed penalty to the goalkeeper's right. Cardiff hit the front just before the break.

45+2mins - The medics pick up the stretcher to take Scimeca off as the Cardiff fans sing his name. We all wish him well and hope the injury is nothing serious. Scimeca is replaced by Aaron Morris.

45mins - Roger Johnson is waving to the Cardiff bench to suggest that Ricardo Scimeca's evening is over. The stretcher is on and this will be Cardiff's final permitted substitution before we've even got to half-time. McCormack is pacing the penalty area, ball under his arm, waiting to take the penalty when play restarts but the current concern is for Scimeca who is still flat out on the penalty spot.

42mins - Whittingham's corner came in from the right and as Purse tried to scramble in a shot, Lewington made the block before Scimeca went down under Diallo's challenge. The Cardiff man needs some treatment and his team mates called for the physio immediately, but the home side now have a glorious chance to go in front. Or can the former Swansea man make himself even more unpopular with the Cardiff fans. Over to you Willy Gueret . . .

41mins - Willy Gueret continues to endear himself to the home supporters with a terrific save to deny Johnson from McCormack's cross. But from the resulting corner it's a PENALTY TO CARDIFF.

40mins - Decent pressure from the home side as Parry looks to give Cummings a headache down the left. His cross is behind everyone though and Chicksen defends soundly under pressure - hooking the ball behind him for a throw-in halfway inside the Dons half.

37mins - More good play from Jemal Johnson as he carries the ball crossfield before feeding Chicksen on the left flank. His one-two with Baldock creates a good crossing position and the 16-year-old wins a corner off Comminges. The almighty figure of Darren Purse heads away Johnson's delivery from the left.

36mins - A very light drizzle is falling in the Welsh capital now adding extra zip to the surface. Dons will be quite pleased with how things have gone so far and would love to get to the break with the scores level. It certainly gives them a chance in this game.

34mins - More good forward movement from the Dons as Johnson carries them over halfway before sliding Baldock into the inside right channel. The little striker shows great strength to hold of Purse before teeing up Cummings from the right. His low cross is cleared by Roger Johnson in the centre.

32mins - Remember you can hear commentary of tonight's game live on Dons World as Mikey Burrows and Lee Scriven call the action from Ninian Park. You'll also be able to hear some of the atmosphere we're talking about at this classic old ground in it's final year before Cardiff move to their new stadium. Baldock wins the ball 25 yards from his own goal before launching a counter attack but after running 40-odd yards with the ball, his shot is charged down.

29mins - Shouts of "Eng-er-land! Eng-er-land! Eng-er-land!" don't go down too well with the Cardiff fans as their Dons counterparts try to make themselves heard. It's light-hearted at the moment and at least takes the flak off Gueret for a minute. The Cardiff fans soon return their attention to the Frenchman though, who might even be getting used to it.

28mins - Navarro left a little frustrated as he pulls Purse's clearance down on his chest and appeals for a shirt pull by McPhail. Rob Shoebridge gives him nothing though and Cardiff are back in possession.

25mins - McPhail is starting to make things tick in Cardiff's midfield and after picking out Whittingham, the former Aston Villa man works his way inside onto his left foot before drilling a firm shot just past Gueret's left-hand post from 25 yards.

21mins - Waste of a decent opening for Cardiff as Stirling's slip allows McCormack in down the right. Dons are scrambling back and McCormack tries to pick out Parry with a chip to the far post, but Shaun Cummings flies out to block the new arrival before he can get the ball under control.

20mins - It is indeed a second change for Cardiff as Paul Parry comes on to replace Blake. Two changes in the first 20 minutes - not what Dave Jones would have wanted.

19mins - Lovely feet from Navarro in midfield to take Lewington's pass away from McPhail. He tries to slide Baldock into the inside left channel but the striker's touch is a little heavy and the ball runs behind.

18mins - More injury concerns for Cardiff as Darcy Blake comes to this near touchline for treatment. It looks like a second substitution is imminent for the Bluebirds.

15mins - Good spell of possession for the Dons as first Mitchell and Lewington look to make space down the left before Navarro's switch sees Dobson and Cummings try to do the same on the right. It's eventually Purse who wins it back with a thumping challenge on Baldock in the penalty area but the Dons trying to play their way into it.

14mins - The stick for Willy Gueret is increasing by the minute, particularly if the former Swansea 'keeper takes any time over a backpass or goal-kick.

12mins - Decent mini-spell for the Dons down the right as Johnson and Cummings combine well down the right. Space to cross is hard to come by though and Cardiff are only moderately troubled. Jemal is by no means the only Johnson on the pitch tonight, he's not even the only American one!

11mins - Cardiff are making a change already and it's a shame for Tony Capaldi, whose comeback from injury lasts just 11 minutes. He's replaced by Miguel Comminges.

9mins - Shaun Cummings has looked very assured at right-back for the Dons so far, up against Joe Ledley whose goal in the FA Cup semi-final would have sent Cardiff to Wembley last season . . . if the semi-final hadn't already been there. If you catch Clockwatch's meaning.

6mins - Dobson turns away from Blake nicely down the Dons right after reading Baldock's flick better than the Cardiff defender. Blake gets back to him though and prevents him progressing into the box.

5mins - Dons forced into some early defending here as Cardiff zip the ball around with great quality in the final third. They've not breached the Dons defence yet but they look increasingly menacing.

3mins - Mitchell wins a corner with a little break down the inside left channel, it's whipped into the near post by Johnson and just cleared before Stirling can connect. Adam Chicksen just got a warm welcome to senior football - a forearm across the face from big Darren Purse.

2mins - First taste of competitive action in over 18 months for Paul Mitchell in the Dons midfield and his first touch is a rusty one. Stirling intercepts an attempted through-ball from McPhail well but Dobson can't hold it up.

7.46pm - KICK OFF

7.45pm - The captains take part in the pre-match formalities before getting down to business. We're running a little behind but nothing to be concerned about. The Dons will play from right to left in the first half as we look at it, defending the end housing a small number of Dons fans. Willy Gueret, a former Swansea man, predictably gets a shedload of abuse from the Cardiff fans behind the goal.

7.42pm - The teams are emerging from the tunnel, Cardiff led by Darren Purse, who plays at the heart of the defence in a 4-4-2 formation as follows: Heaton; Blake, Roger Johnson, Purse, Capaldi; Whittingham, Scimeca, McPhail, Ledley; McCormack, Eddie Johnson.

7.37pm - TEAM NEWS - Six changes for the Dons tonight as Roberto Di Matteo looks to rotate his squad with a long season ahead. There are first starts of the season for Drissa Diallo, Jemal Johnson, Paul Mitchell and Craig Dobson, and a first ever start for 16-year-old Adam Chicksen.

Dons will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, from right-to-left as follows: Gueret; Cummings, Diallo, Stirling, Lewington; Johnson, Mitchell, Navarro, Chicksen; Dobson, Baldock.

There are seven on the bench for the Dons tonight including Mark Wright, Peter Leven and Flavien Belson while Keith Andrews has travelled but is not involved. Dean Lewington continues to lead the team in his absence.

7.30pm - Welcome to Ninian Park for tonight's Carling Cup Second Round tie, as MK Dons look to upset the bookmakers against the 2008 FA Cup finalists Cardiff City.

It's a much changed Dons outfit from the weekend, which we'll tell you about in just a moment. Conditions are relatively mild though there is a touch of dampness around, the surface looks pretty decent though there is a large mound in the centre of the pitch, dropping low in the corners and along the touchlines.

There are barely a couple of hundred Dons fans that have braved the trip down the M4 this evening, no doubt the rest are either logging onto Clockwatch or listening on Dons World. Kick off is at 7.45pm.