MK Dons continued their pre-season preparations as they faced Stevenage in their latest practice match.
Russell Martin used the exercise to give a number of his squad 60-minutes, while the rest featured for the final 30-minutes of the game.
Lee Nicholls started between the sticks, with Baily Cargill, Dean Lewington and Trialist A in front.
Daniel Harvie and Regan Poole made up the wing-backs, with John Freeman, Ben Gladwin and Jordan Houghton in midfield. They lined up behind Sam Nombe and Rhys Healey in the attack.
It was a patient start from Martin’s side who looked to keep possession from the off. Their first chance of the game came after a long spell with the ball, but Harvie was able to direct Gladwin’s cross towards goal.
Stevenage countered well and forced Lee Nicholls into his first save of the game, he turned behind from close range before claiming the cross.
On the 10-minute mark, Healey tested Johnson, his header ended inches wide of the post after some good work from Poole on the right.
Healey then had a shot inside the area blocked, this time he was picked out by Harvie who found himself unmarked inside the area before picking out the striker.
Harvie was once again involved on the half-hour mark, he beat a number of men down the left before making his way into the area. He found Poole lurking on the edge of the box, however, his strike ended narrowly over the bar.
The Dons patient play soon saw them take the lead through the impressive Ben Gladwin. It came from Lewington’s perfectly weighted pass into the path of Gladwin, he then rounded the keeper before converting into an empty net to give the Dons the lead at the break. 1-0.
After giving Dons the lead before the break, Gladwin was doing his bit defensively minutes into the restart. He flicked behind a dangerous free-kick before Nicholls claimed the corner.
Stevenage then had shots blocked by both Harvie and Lewington as they looked for an immediate reply in the second half. This continued on 50-minutes when Nicholls tightened the angle as Effiong closed down on goal, forcing him to chip into the area, fortunately for MK Dons, no one was on the end of it.
The Dons first chance of the second-half fell the way of John Freeman, he twisted and turned inside the area to create a chance for himself, but was denied by the keeper. Having claimed the effort he then set Stevenage forward, as Osborne hit the post for the hosts.
Nombe had the last chance before the hour-mark, he forced a good save from the keeper at a tight angle.
On the hour, MK Dons changed their whole team, with a number of young Academy players making their way onto the pitch.
Laurie Walker, Matty Sorinola, Carlton Morris, Jay Bird, Jack Davies, David Kasumu, Tali Jallow, Josh Bailey, Malaki Black, Louis Thompson and Hiram Boateng all came on to see out the game.
It was Bird who looked to double the Dons lead just eight minutes into his return to action, he had two shots end narrowly wide having made the space to shoot inside the area.
Kasumu then displayed his pace and energy to beat the offside trap down the left. He picked out Morris with his cross, but the forwarded headed wide.
Stevenage, however, were back on terms with 18-minutes left to play. Having found himself on the left, Osborne found the run Trialist inside the box who volleyed home past Walker. 1-1.
Bird had the final chance of the game but fired over from just inside the six-yard box.
Starting XI: Nicholls, Poole, Lewington, Houghton, Trialist, Cargill, Gladwin, Freeman, Nombe, Healey, Harvie.
Team After 60: Walker, Sorinola, Morris, Bird, Davies, Kasumu, Jallow, Bailey, Black, Thompson, Boateng.
