MK Dons were held to a 1-1 draw by Accrington Stanley at Stadium MK.
Ethan Robson put the Dons ahead in the first half with a terrific long-range effort but Liam Manning’s men were unable to build on the lead and saw Sean McConville level the scores for the visitors with a penalty 12 minutes from time.
MK Dons made two changes from their midweek win over Port Vale, with Daniel Oyegoke and Conor Grant replacing Matt Smith and Louie Barry. Daniel Harvie and Will Grigg, meanwhile, were back from injury and among the substitutes.
Jamie Cumming was forced into an early save just two minutes in, denying Korede Adodoyin in superb fashion from point-blank range. The Dons then threatened for the first time down the right but Oyegoke’s cross was intercepted by a defender.
Oyegoke, again, got behind the Accrington backline on eight minutes but his ball in was deflected out of the path of Grant, who was looking to latch onto it. His next cross wasn’t touched by an Accrington defender nor a Dons man, as it flashed across goal and away.
At the other end, Accrington had two shots on goal blocked before Oyegoke had the Dons’ first effort on goal after a well-worked move down the left – an improvised effort on the bounce, from Bradley Johnson’s lay-off, which flew over the bar.
On 19 minutes, the visitors broke forward from the back and saw Ethan Hamilton force Cumming into a diving save down to his left. They threatened on the counter again midway through the first half but Lewington prevented Adedoyin’s effort from troubling Cumming.
The Dons had a shout for a penalty waved away by the referee on 28 minutes for what appeared to be a foul on Matt Dennis inside the area. Their frustration was short-lived, however, as they took the lead moments later in superb fashion.
Picking the ball up in the middle of the park, Robson was afforded space to drive into by Accrington and he carried possession all the way up to the edge of the D, before curling a left-footed shot beyond the outstretched arm of Lukas Jensen and into the net. 1-0.
Soon after the re-start, a cross-field pass from Johnson over to Lawrence was headed goal-wards by the wing-back but Jensen watched it wide. Stanley then went close to an equaliser through Adedoyin but, from an in-swinging free-kick, he glanced a header past the post.
Dennis created a chance for himself with six minutes to play in the half, shrugging off the challenge of Hamilton before driving towards goal – his shot, however, couldn’t find the target.
Grant almost played in Dan Kemp a minute later but the latter was crowded out inside the box after latching onto the through pass. Lawrence almost found himself in on goal too but was pulled back in cynical fashion by Mitch Clark.
From the free-kick, Manning’s men went agonisingly close to doubling their lead. Grant’s initial effort was blocked by the wall but the Dons worked a good shooting chance for Kemp, whose attempt beat Jensen but was stopped on the line brilliantly by Seamus Conneely.
There was an early chance for the visiting side at the start of the second half – Pritchard with the effort which he dragged wide of the near post.
Nothing much in the way of chances followed immediately after that, until the Dons went to their bench with 67 minutes played. Manning brought on Louie Barry and Matt Smith and the latter went close soon after his introduction with a bending effort that Jensen saved.
A deflected effort from Hamilton called Cumming into action with just over a quarter of an hour left to play. At the other end, a fantastic cross-field pass from Robson to Lawrence set the defender up for a shot on goal but his long-range drive lacked the power to truly trouble Jensen.
The visitors, though, were handed their way back into the match a minute later when Adedoyin went down in the area under a challenge from O’Hora. McConville stepped up and made no mistake from the spot to level the scores. 1-1.
The Dons, who brought Harvie off the bench before the re-start, almost found themselves back in front when O’Hora, looking to make amends, surged into the area and teed up Dennis. His strike was clean but Jensen spread himself well to make an important save.
On 86 minutes, Johnson headed over from a deep Smith corner. Grigg then came on as Manning’s final sub, in place of Dennis.
Adedoyin found the side netting in the first minute of stoppage time while Hamilton went within a whisker of hitting the top corner with a long-range drive.
That Hamilton chance was the closest either side came to grabbing a late winner. The Dons head into a stretch of back-to-back away matches with four points under their belts from successive Stadium MK games.
MK Dons: Cumming, Lewington, Tucker, O’Hora, Robson, Oyegoke, Johnson, Grant (Barry 67), Kemp (Smith 67), Lawrence (Harvie 78), Dennis (Grigg 86).
Subs: Ravizzoli, Devoy, Jules.
Goal: Robson (30)
Booked: Johnson, Lawrence
Accrington Stanley: Jensen, Clark, Hamilton, Astley, Leigh, Pritchard (Whalley 65), McConville, Rodgers, Sangare (Tharme 65), Adedoyin, Conneely (Coyle 65)
Subs: Savin, Lowe, Longelo, Woods.
Booked: Astley, Clark, Hamilton, McConville
Goal: McConville (78 pen)
Referee: T Reeves
Attendance: 6,001 (142 away)
