Newport Pagnell Town regained the Marshall Cup with a powerful pre-season display against a youthful MK Dons XI at Willen Road.

A Dons side taken by Academy Director Mike Dove and made up of primarily Youth Team players were beaten 4-1 by their United Counties Premier League opponents, showing plenty of footballing promise but ultimately broken by a physically stronger team.

Young pros Adam Chicksen, Charlie Collins and Dan Powell along with American striker Jemal Johnson, given the chance to find some match sharpness ahead of his imminent stateside trial with Washington, were charged with providing the experience around the Club's current apprentices.

But goals from Darren Lynch, Daren Dykes and two from Vinnie Shrieves saw the Swans lift the pre-season trophy, despite Chicksen's stunning second-half riposte.

It was certainly a physical examination for Mike's young hopefuls, many of whom were involved in Friday night's 3-1 win at Aylesbury. They showed plenty of precision in their passing, but lacked the aggression Newport built their own game around.

Dan Powell worked Newport 'keeper James Howarth with a 20-yard shot after a driving run from the left flank, but chances were few and far between in the opening exchanges.

Jemal Johnson was given the time to get some match sharpness ahead of his trial in America.

 

Even the opening goal on 25 minutes came from a set-piece - awarded harshly against Stefan Powell for handball on the edge of his own box. Front-man Lynch, a veteran of the MK football circuit, took charge of the situation, curling his free-kick around the wall and past the stretching hands of Daniel Glass in the Dons goal.

Dykes came close to doubling the lead five minutes later but, under pressure from the recovering Jordan Ivey-Ward, he was denied by Glass racing out at his feet.

Following his impressive cameo in front of first team manager Karl Robinson on Friday night, the name of 18-year-old Igor Coronado was flying around the decent-sized Dons support at Willen Road and the Brazilian midfielder continued to catch the eye. Having drawn ground-wide applause for one outrageous turn halfway through the half, he came within inches of levelling the scores with a right-foot curler just before the break.

The second half saw the game open up considerably and Dykes played a key role as Newport took a stranglehold on the game. First the Swans striker swept home Michael Lyon's cutback from the right on 55 minutes and then headed a left-wing cross past substitute 'keeper Louis Bragg and against the post for Shrieves to gobble up the rebound.

Young Stefan Powell runs at the Newport defence.

 

To their credit, the young Dons side kept coming and substitute Tom Flanagan forced Howarth into a fine save when he met Johnson's deep cross on 69, before Johnson himself stung the 'keeper's palms with a long-range piledriver moments later.

Coronado flashed a shot just past the top corner after a neat exchange with Awadh Ahmed on 71 minutes and Collins was denied by the fingertips of Howarth on 79.

But as the resulting corner was cleared, Chicksen was waiting to hammer a venomous, angled drive into the top corner from 25 yards.

With Newport tiring, it looked set for the Dons to produce a grandstand final 10 minutes as they sought a way back into it.

Daniel Powell holds off Newport's Michael Lyon.

 

But the closest they came was at the end of a buccaneering run from the impressive Flanagan, whose initial shot was well saved and whose follow-up and subsequent finish was deemed a foul on the goalkeeper.

The game finished on a somewhat sour note as Newport's Jordan Spruce was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Jordan Browne in stoppage time.

But there was still time for Shrieves to add a fourth from the penalty spot after a stumbling Flanagan was judged to have handled under pressure from the Swans striker.

Dons (4-3-3): Glass (Bragg 59); Williams (Flanagan 55), Ivey-Ward (Browne 46), Milton (c), Chicksen; Coronado, S. Powell (Plowright 46), McGovern; Collins, Johnson, D. Powell (A. Ahmed 52).

Subs not used: Gyasi, Walster, F. Ahmed.