Milton Keynes Dons

The game has not been the classic perhaps the Sky Sports cameras would have wanted but there is plenty to suggest there could be sparks in the second half.

Here’s the key moments:

The Dons made three changes that drew with Portsmouth over a week ago with Mathias Kouo-Doumbe making his first start of the season in the place of the suspended Antony Kay, while Scott Allan and Alan Smith stepped in for the injured Daniel Powell and Charlie MacDonald, who dropped to the bench, respectively.

Smith was given the responsibility of leading the line for the Dons while on-loan midfielder Allan took up the roaming position in the three-pronged support behind the ex-England international.

A lively tempo greeted the game with corners at either end inside the opening five minutes, although the best chance in that spell fell to PNE striker Akpo Sodje who inexplicably blasted into Row Z from 10-yards out. 

It was a glaring miss by the forward, but his partner up front Stuart Beavon soon caused a panic in the Dons’ box when he was found on the left and his cheeky back heel forced David Martin to scramble to save at his near post. 

There was a nervous edge to the play at Deepdale as neither side went hammer and tong; instead both Preston and the Dons were patient in the play waiting to pounce on a simple mistake.

Preston allowed the Dons to pass the ball around the pitch in their familiar possession-based play, but by doing so they put pressure on themselves when they had opportunities and after seeing two Scott Laird corners come to nothing, the sight of Sodje blasting another shot, this time from 20-yards would not have pleased Graham Westley.

The best chance of the game so far came with almost 25 minutes on the clock when Allan weaved his way across the middle of the park and threaded a fine ball through the eye of the needle for Smith. It was a delicious pass for Smith to run on to, but the outstretched right leg of Thorsten Stuckmann was enough to deny the Dons an opener.

A free-kick to the left of the Preston box provided the Dons with another chance to test Stuckmann, but Dean Bowditch failed to do so as he lifted his delivery over the bar.