MK Dons mount comeback to beat Cheltenham and win five league games in a row

Laurence Maguire was the matchwinner as MK Dons came from 2-0 down to beat Cheltenham 3-2 and win a fifth straight league game.

Cheltenham stunned the Dons when they moved 2-0 ahead inside 13 minutes through goals by Jake Young and George Miller.

MK Dons got a goal back when Alex Gilbey scored, but it took the Dons a while to get going until Ellis Harrison’s equaliser with 15 minutes to play and then Maguire’s winner with four minutes to go.

Victory means MK Dons have won five consecutive League Two games, lifting up to 5th place and one point off an automatic promotion position. The sequence is the Dons’ longest run of consecutive league wins since February and March 2022.

After the disappointment of midweek elimination from the EFL Trophy, MK Dons returned to league action chasing a fifth straight win in League Two. They were confronted with a tricky test as an in-form Cheltenham arrived, with the Gloucestershire side having been unbeaten in their previous four league games as well as beating League One Rotherham in the FA Cup.

One consequence of the midweek EFL Trophy game would be the absence of Dons boss Scott Lindsey from the touchline, with Lindsey banned from the touchline after picking up his third yellow of the season.

MK Dons had the first initial chance of the day, as Aaron Nemane was able to play a one-two, reach the edge of the box and have a strike that was straight at Joe Day in the Cheltenham goal.

Cheltenham would respond, however, by scoring a sixth minute opening goal. A foul by Maguire by the corner flag gave the visitors a free-kick, and from Joel Colwill’s delivery, Young’s shot from outside the box took a deflection off an MK Dons player and went in despite Tom McGill’s attempt to save it.

Scott Hogan briefly thought he’d grabbed MK Dons an instant equaliser when he received Gilbey’s through-pass and finished, but an offside flag raised before he shot meant no goal.

Things then got worse for MK Dons. A foul gave Cheltenham another free-kick, which was lifted into the box by Young. Tom Bradbury’s header across the face of goal cued up Miller, who was left unmarked and duly beat McGill in the one-on-one to give Cheltenham a 2-0 lead with less than 15 minutes played.

MK Dons initially struggled to get going, but would find themselves a way back less than ten minutes after falling 2-0 down. Hogan was able to outmuscle Jordan Thomas before getting to the edge of the box and playing in a low cross for Gilbey to thump in a first-time strike and make it 2-1.

But while MK Dons had a foothold, Cheltenham were looking the more dangerous. Thomas would see a shot just bounce past the post before a Young free-kick similarly missed the target by a matter of inches.

MK Dons struggled for momentum in the first half and they weren’t helped when MJ Williams had to be taken off after pulling up during first half stoppage time.

Williams was duly taken off, while the Dons had a few half-chances in first half stoppage time as Gilbey had a strike blocked and Joe Tomlinson fired over from a corner.

Lindsey duly decided upon a further reshuffle, making a double change at half-time to introduce Liam Kelly and Callum Hendry alongside the forced arrival of Dean Lewington.

A half-chance came MK Dons’ way just after the break as Gilbey saw a deflected strike held by Day, but a better chance fell Cheltenham’s way. The visitors worked the ball for Colwill, who saw a strike charged down at source by Lewington.

Having been caught out by Young being given space for the opening goal, MK Dons were nearly caught out again, as Young received the ball from a half-cleared corner and saw a strike on target just tipped over by McGill.

Ethon Archer would also see a strike narrowly clear the bar as the visitors spent a lot of the second half looking likelier to do something.

But instead, with just over a quarter of an hour to play, MK Dons were able to find a way through to equalise. Substitute Harrison flicked a ball onwards to Hogan, who duly charged clear of a covering defender before reaching the box and drawing out Day. Hogan duly squared for Harrison to convert and make it 2-2.

The home side were now able to get momentum, and felt they should’ve had a penalty when Lewis Shipley interrupted Nemane’s run into the box. Nemane however did win a corner with a shot that Day tipped wide, and from that corner, Maguire was able to prod home after a scramble with multiple Cheltenham defenders.

Maguire’s first goal for MK Dons duly got them the lead for the first time, and despite a frantic injury time, it proved to be the decisive goal that was enough to win MK Dons the game.

MK Dons: McGill – Offord, Williams (Lewington 45+3), Maguire – Nemane, White, Thompson-Sommers (Kelly 45), Tomlinson (Hendry 45) – Wearne (Harrison 70), Hogan, Gilbey

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Pritchard, Leigh

Goal: Gilbey (22), Harrison (74), Maguire (85)

Booked: Thompson-Sommers

Cheltenham: Day – Bakare (Bowman 88), Bennett, Bradbury – Payne (Pett 88), Kinsella, Young, Thomas (Taylor 88) – Colwill (Dulson 68), Miller, Archer

Subs not used: Evans, Sohna

Goal: Young (6), Miller (13)