A late winner from Mollie Coupar gave Charlie Bill’s side all three points as they ran out 1-0 winners over Crawley Wasps Ladies.
Crawley Wasps were the early front runners in the FAWNL South and were top of the table when the 2019/20 campaign was declared null and void.
It was Crawley Wasps who dominated the early stages of the game, however, Chloe Sansom was proving hard to beat early on. The Dons keeper made a number of early saves to deny the hosts the lead.
Having found their feet in the game, MK Dons went close through Vicky Neal, she fired over from the edge of the box after Chez Albert’s strike was blocked.
Shortly after, Hannah Barrett went close, she was unable to direct her overhead kick towards goal.
After good work down the right from Hannah Warren, Chez Albert then hit narrowly wide from range.
The Dons continued to look for the opening goal, Jade Bell curled wide from the edge of the box after creating the space to shoot.
With the first-half drawing to a close, Immy Lancaster tried to find a way past Sansom, but the Dons keeper was on hand to deny Lancaster from close range.
With just four minutes left of the half, Crawley Wasps thought they had the lead, but were denied by the offside flag. Megan Stow found herself through on goal, she opted to play in Holly Smith – but the flag was raised against her as she slotted home.
The first chance after the break fell the way of MK Dons. Albert, who was a constant danger down the left, picked out the run of Barrett – she was beaten to the ball by the Crawley defender before their keeper claimed to loose ball.
The Dons continued to defend well and limited Crawley to a number of shots from outside the box. Katie McIntyre and Naomi Cole both saw their shots end over the bar.
Bill’s side were strong defensively and kept to their shape, with Sansom not having to make a crucial save.
With it looking likely that Crawley would score the opening goal of the game, The Dons pounced on a defensive lapse of concentration to take the lead. Darcy James failed to clear the ball for the home side, as Mollie Coupar blocked her clearance. Coupar kept her composure in front of goal and found the back of the net. 1-0.
From there, it was a matter of staying strong at the back, and that’s exactly what Sophie Bolton did. She denied Sarah Wignall an open goal as she put a dangerous cross behind for a corner.
The last chance of the game fell the way of Emma Plewa, she was unable to test Sansom though as the Dons ran out 1-0 winners.
The Women are back in action on Tuesday night at Stadium MK as they take on Oxford United Women, Tickets are £5 and can be purchased through the box office or online.
