Early Collins goal enough as MK Dons beat Newport County

An early goal by Aaron Collins helped MK Dons to a 1-0 win over Newport County.

Collins’ first minute goal was enough to win the match against his hometown club, with the Dons able to get the points despite missing multiple chances, including a Callum Paterson penalty that was saved.

Despite being unable to find a second goal, victory was still enough for the Dons to get the job done. Paul Warne’s side extended an unbeaten run that stretches now to 7 League Two games and while a win wasn’t enough to get them into the automatic promotion places, they sit just one point behind the top 3 in the division.

Having picked up 4 points from trips to Grimsby and Cheltenham, MK Dons returned to Stadium MK for the first of two games in four days against sides struggling at the foot of the table. Ahead of the return of ex-Dons boss Scott Lindsey to Stadium MK, the Dons welcomed a Newport side who last visited Milton Keynes for Warne’s first match in charge near the end of last season.

That encounter finished 0-0, but the Dons ensured this one would not wind up goalless as they scored straight away. Jon Mellish’s attempted pass was only partially cleared by Newport keeper Jordan Wright, with the ball going straight to Collins. The striker duly rolled the ball into the bottom corner to score against his hometown club.

Having grabbed the early goal, MK Dons began to set about trying to build an advantage. Ben Wiles would see a strike deflected behind off a defender, before a great chance saw Marvin Ekpiteta reach Liam Kelly’s free-kick only to be denied a third goal in as many games by a fine stop from Wright.

Wright would also make a more straight forward save to deny the Dons’ Curtis Nelson, before Newport’s first chance of note saw Sven Sprangler hit a volley from a half-cleared corner into the stands.

MK Dons were keeping Newport at arms length for the majority of the contest, and the hosts looked likelier to find a way through. One nearly came through Paterson, with Kelly’s cross at a short corner nodded across the box for Paterson, who had a fine first-time volley saved by Wright.

A stop-start half saw little momentum built up by the two sides, but the Dons were still having chances, with Alex Gilbey firing a shot over before Collins was denied by Wright after choosing to shoot rather than cross at the end of a counter attack.

The Dons continued to play on the front foot after half-time, with Paterson prodding wide from a good position after arriving to meet a cross from the home side’s right flank before Collins then missed the target with a free-kick.

Just after the hour mark, MK Dons were then handed a chance to move 2-0 up. Paterson had been denied by Wright when he broke into the box, but as the ball bounced around the box, contact was made between the Newport keeper and Dons striker. After some thinking time, the referee gave the penalty.

There was a lengthy delay however as both Paterson and Wright took damage in the collision. Despite seemingly struggling with a knock, Paterson still stepped up to take the penalty, only for Wright to save his spot kick.

Paterson then went down again, with the Dons’ top scorer having to be taken off, but despite that blow, Wiles was still nearly able to sweep the hosts 2-0 up only to plant his strike into the side-netting.

Newport then missed perhaps their best chance of the whole game to draw level. A lot of space opened up in front of Anthony Glennon and his whipped ball into the box found substitute Harrison Biggins, who contrived to miss the target from close range.

Another near miss then came when Nelson inadvertently deflected a cross towards his own goal, requiring Dons keeper Craig MacGillivray to tip it wide.

With a very stop-start slow thanks to multiple injury-related pauses, the game soon entered nine minutes of added time at the end of the contest, which would become eleven in practice after further stoppages.

Newport’s best chance came towards the end of the original nine, as after a mix-up in the box from an Exiles free-kick, the ball landed for Newport sub Nathan Opoku, who blasted a strike wide.

Having navigated that, the Dons duly held out to take three points and maintain their chase of the teams above as the season continues on its way towards the end of the campaign.

MK Dons: MacGillivray – Offord, Nelson, Ekpiteta – Jones, Wiles, Kelly (Crowley 90+4), Gilbey, Mellish – Collins (Matete 76), Paterson (Hepburn-Murphy 68)

Subs not used: Trueman, Crowley, Hogan, Tomlinson, Nemane

Goal: Collins (1)

Booked: Hepburn-Murphy

Newport: Wright – Thomas, Brennan (Delaney 39), Baker, Glennon – Sprangler – Spellman, Jarvis (Biggins 45), Garner (Lloyd 87), Kamwa (Evans 87) – Crole (Opoku 45)

Subs not used: MacDonald, Jamieson

Booked: Spellman, Sprangler