MK Dons were held to a 1-1 draw by Grimsby Town as their unbeaten run in Sky Bet League Two stretched to a fifth game.
Rekeil Pyke gave the visitors a first-half lead but Jack Payne struck just past the hour to earn the Dons a share of the spoils and maintain Mike Williamson’s men unblemished start to life at Stadium MK.
Head Coach Williamson named an unchanged line-up from the team that beat Salford City at the Peninsula Stadium while his substitutes bench also remained the same.
His side earned themselves a corner after only three minutes but Harvey Cartwright gathered well above Daniel Harvie from Joe Tomlinson’s ball in. Grimsby then had a corner of their own which Craig MacGillivray dealt with.
A low cross in from the left provided a shooting opportunity for Rekeil Pyke, whose low shot was blocked well by the Dons defence. That chance came on the break, after a sustained period of possession from Williamson’s men.
Grimsby threatened again on 14 minutes, through Arthur Gnahoua, but he couldn’t keep his stabbed effort down from just inside the penalty area. The Mariners midfielder was inside the box again a few minutes later – Cameron Norman, though, got in the way of his dangerous-looking cutback.
It was the visitors from Lincolnshire who drew first blood with 20 minutes on the clock - PYKE slotting past MacGillivray after being picked out in the centre of the penalty area by strike partner, Danny Rose. 0-1.
In search of an instant response, the Dons drove down the right-hand channel with Gilbey, whose low cross into the area was cut out in front of a lurking Max Dean.
It then took a vital sliding tackle from Payne to prevent Toby Mullarkey from having the chance to convert from close range after a delivery in from the MK Dons left. From the resulting corner, MacGillivray saved a header from Rose at his near post.
Tomlinson, fresh from his brace at Salford, fired a low shot just wide on 25 minutes – MK Dons’ first real effort on goal. Gilbey then got in-behind the Grimsby backline but his cross had too much on it for Harvie, racing in at the far post, to meet it.
In the 33rd minute, a foul on Dean, after some nice football down the right, provided the Dons with another shooting opportunity. Payne took the free-kick, which was spotted five yards from the edge of the area, but saw the effort blocked by the wall.
MacGillivray got down quickly to smother Harry Clifton’s fierce cross as the visitors threatened a second with seven minutes to play in the first half. A superb last-ditch tackle from Tomlinson then denied Rose as he looked set to pull the trigger.
Seven minutes of stoppage-time were added at the end of the first half and in the second and third of those, MacGillivray produced a pair of strong diving saves to, twice, deny Mariners substitute Alex Hunt.
It kept the deficit at one heading into the break – a similar half-time deficit to what Williamson and his men faced at the weekend on their trip to Salford. They did have chance at changing that, though, deep in added time, but Dean had his shot deflected into the arms of Cartwright following Tomlinson’s low cross.
A bending effort from Harvie was the Dons’ first chance at restoring parity in the second half – the Scot did well to create space for a shot on the edge of the area but he wasn’t able to keep it down.
Gnahoua headed over with the Mariners’ maiden second-half effort on 56 minutes. Moments later, there was a terrific opportunity for Dean, who was unable to direct his first-time shot on target from Tomlinson’s pinpoint cross.
Williamson made his first change just past the hour mark, replacing Grant with Johnathan Leko. He had barely had a touch when Grimsby went close to a second goal – Gnahoua hitting the post with an angled effort.
Leko, though, was involved as MK Dons levelled the scores on 66 minutes. The number 7 teed up Tomlinson on the edge of the area and though his initial delivery was cleared, the Dons recycled possession with Gilbey and this cross was met by a Dons teammate – PAYNE, who powered drilled home, first-time, from 12 yards out. 1-1.
MacGillivray was forced to dive out and gather Clifton’s ball in as Grimsby went in search of a second almost instantly. There was nothing Cartwright could do about Tomlinson’s teasing delivery shortly after, but neither Dean, nor Harvie, could connect.
Mo Eisa and Ellis Harrison were then brought on by Williamson, with Dean and Lewington making way. It was the earlier substitute, Leko, who tried his luck next for the Dons, cutting inside and having a right-footed drive deflect wide of goal.
From the resulting corner, a chance was created for Tomlinson but he was denied by a diving save from Cartwright, who got down well to his right to keep out the low strike. Cartwright’s opposite number, MacGillivray, then produced an excellent save of his own to keep out a close-range effort by Abo Eisa.
An advantage played by the referee almost worked out perfectly for the Dons on 82 minutes but Payne’s eventual strike was blocked by a sliding Grimsby defender. Norman then tried his luck from range, though his 30-yarder whistled over the crossbar.
Grimsby’s Ainley struck the side netting as the visitors threatened a late goal to take the lead. Ainley had another opportunity moments later but couldn’t keep his effort down when well placed inside the MK Dons area.
Five minutes were added by the officials, and in the second of those, Leko produced a stunning diving block to keep Kamil Conteh’s shot from testing MacGillivray from close range.
The best chance at a winning goal came in the final seconds, though, and it fell to Dons’ number 10 Eisa. Picked out in the area by Tomlinson, Eisa had to take the shot on first time but he was unable to guide the effort home and complete a dramatic late turnaround.
MK Dons: MacGillivray, Norman, Lewington (Eisa 71), O’Hora, Williams, Gilbey, Payne, Tomlinson, Grant (Leko 62), Dean (Harrison 71), Harvie.
Subs: Kelly, Smith, Devoy, Dennis.
Goal: Payne (66)
Booked: Williams
Grimsby Town: Cartwright, Glennon (Hunt 35), Rodgers, Pyke (Eisa 54), Khan (Wilson 68), Gnahoua (Ainley 68), Clifton, Mullarkey, Maher, Rose, Conteh.
Subs: Eastwood, Green, Waterfall.
Goal: Pyke (20)
Booked: Conteh, Ainley, Wilson
Referee: P Wright
Attendance: 4,962 (610 away)
