Under-18 report by Ali Bunker
Mike Dove's under-18 side succumbed to defeat at Woughton on Saturday against an impressive Cardiff City.
Charlie Collins' first-half penalty, sandwiched between two Cardiff goals from Zac Evans, was not enough to secure any points for the home side.
Having not yet won any of their games so far this season a match against high-fliers Cardiff was always going to be tough, but swirling winds and wintery temperatures made this even more of a struggle.
The home side made most of the early running, but the blustery conditions were making it hard to play the sort of football they have shown at times this season. Nevertheless they fashioned the first opportunity of the game after just seven minutes.
Captain Adam Chicksen's incisive run found Martel Powell on the edge of the box. The striker played an excellent through ball for Justin Dowling to latch onto but the midfielder's shot was tame and visiting goalkeeper Jordan Santiago made a comfortable save.
Minutes later and Santiago was forced into another save, this one though was less straightforward. A brilliant piece of skill from Igor Coronado saw the winger pluck the ball out of the air, take on three players on the edge of the box and curl a right-footed shot towards goal only to see it tipped wide for a corner.
Moments later the Dons had fallen behind and Dove will be far from happy at the way the opener transpired. A simple low corner evaded two defenders at the near post allowing Evans to tap in from point-blank range.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the home side as they had been much the better side during the opening exchanges but their luck was about to change and they were level within 10 minutes.
Coronado's persistence paid off as he dispossessed Kyle Edwards 25 yards from the visitors' goal and unleashed a powerful drive, which was saved well by Santiago once more. Powell looked to pounce on the rebound but was upended by a combination of Cardiff defenders and referee John Scott pointed to the spot.
Charlie Collins coolly slotted past the goalkeeper to give the Dons a deserved equaliser.
The fast-paced action showed no signs of faltering and both defences were struggling to deal with high balls in and around the 18-yard box. And it was the away side who took advantage soon after the equaliser. A long ball forward found Ibrahim Farah in space just outside the area. His shot was parried well by Ashley Harrison in the Dons goal but Nathaniel Jarvis' follow-up was blocked by Chicksen and the referee adjudged the left-back had used his arm.
Evans stepped up and sent Harrison the wrong way the restore the visitors' and take Cardiff in at half-time in the lead.
The second-half was a much more subdued affair as the Dons struggled to find a way out of their own half in the face of driving winds. It was a valiant effort though and it could have been rewarded had Dowling connected better with a shot from the edge of the area on 85 minutes.
But Cardiff could have extended their lead soon after as Mamadou Diallo headed narrowly over from a corner before the final whistle went, leaving the team without a win this season and the manager to reflect on a disappointing result.
"I'm disappointed because I thought we seemed to lack balance, especially after the equaliser," said Dove.
He added: "After we got level I thought we could have consolidated a bit more and showed a bit more patience. We were rushing things when we could have held onto the ball a bit and tried to play football.
"But it was certainly better than last week and another learning experience for the lads."
MK Dons: Harrison, Browne, Chicksen (c), Farden (McGovern 80), Milton, Williams, G. Baldock, Dowling, Collins, M. Powell, Coronado (Lee 76).
Subs not used: Glass, Ivey-Ward, Ahmed.
