MK Dons Under-23s kicked off the New Year with a 2-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth at Canford Park Arena.
Edu Rubio’s side were originally due to host the Cherries at Brackley Town on Monday but the fixture was postponed due to an unplayable pitch at St James Park.
The match, instead, took place in Bournemouth on Tuesday afternoon but the change of venue didn’t affect the Dons, who took a first-half lead courtesy of Brandon Thomas-Asante’s fierce strike.
Striker Osman Sow, who got some important minutes under his belt while serving his suspension at first-team level, diverted in a cross on 68 minutes to make it 2-0.
Just four minutes later the Cherries had the chance to reduce the deficit after Jordan Lee was fouled inside the area. Mikael Ndjol took on penalty duties and converted from the spot.
Despite some late pressure from the home side, Rubio’s team were able to hold on for the victory.
Following the final whistle, Edu Rubio caught up with mkdons.com to reflect on the victory, “I feel it was a very good team performance from everyone involved." He said, "The most important thing for me was we were on top and kept up a high tempo throughout."
Rubio added, "Our motto is daily improvements and I must say that the improvement today compared to the last fixture against Bournemouth is remarkable.
“Obviously winning is very important for us but I’m proud that we stuck to our DNA and style of play. It’s a pity we couldn’t play at Brackley because if we had the same performance at home, I think the fans would’ve gone home with a massive smile on their faces.
“I would lastly like to highlight the professionalism of all the staff involved because they were told late yesterday afternoon that we were going to play away from home. The players were also brilliant as they didn’t have the right match preparation but they were very professional throughout.
"Ultimately we would like to highlight values like adaptability, flexibility and professionalism because they are very important to carry into first-team football.”
Starting XI: Jones; Evans, Jackson, Hope, Sorinola; Thomas-Asante, Kasumu, Logan, Bell (Sole, 81); Sow, Seager (Pattison, 86).
Unused subs: Hourican-Harvey, Wright, Martin.
Goals: Thomas-Asante (40), Sow (68)
