MK Dons draw a blank in Crawley draw

MK Dons were unable to grab a victory after a 0-0 draw at home with Crawley Town.

A tight game at Stadium MK saw the Dons miss opportunities in the contest, as they played out a draw against a Crawley side managed by their former boss Scott Lindsey.

The draw did extend MK Dons’ unbeaten run to 8 League 2 games and with Notts County losing, it did lift Paul Warne’s side to 4th in the table, on a night where only one of the top 6 in League 2 at the start of the day won their match.

Having beaten one struggling side at the weekend in the form of Newport County, MK Dons had another home game against a side fighting relegation, as they hosted Crawley, with Lindsey making his first return to Stadium MK since leaving the Dons in Mach last year.

Warne’s preparations were complicated by injuries, with Callum Paterson and Aaron Collins both ruled out with long-term injuries sustained at the weekend. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, one of several players from both sides taking on their former employer, was leading the line, with two number 10s in behind.

The early stages saw both sides attempt to probe in search of an opener, with the best chances seeing Alex Gilbey chip both Crawley keeper Jacob Chapman and the goal, before Crawley’s Lewis Richards saw a low strike flash across the face of goal and go out.

Perhaps the best chance of a tight game would come after the half hour mark, as Gilbey had a free header from a cross from the Dons’ right and saw his header well denied by Chapman.

A few moments later, the Dons came close again as Hepburn-Murphy picked up the ball from a tight angle and saw a strike denied by Chapman.

Crawley had created a few half-chances in the first half, but better chances came their way after the break, with Kladi Lolos and former Dons striker Danilo Orsi both having strikes denied by Craig MacGillivray.

In-between these two tries, the Dons had a great opportunity that they didn’t take. Liam Kelly won the ball high up and his cross picked out Ben Wiles, but the January signing could only fire a strike straight at Chapman.

Hepburn-Murphy had one strike blocked and another land in the stands before the former Crawley man would take his leave, but in the late stages, a great chance fell for his replacement. Scott Hogan was picked out after Crawley failed to clear a corner, and the striker saw his effort denied by Chapman at close range.

Crawley would nearly steal the points for themselves. MK Dons couldn’t clear their lines at a corner and Marvin Ekpiteta’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Ronan Darcy, with the ball heading towards goal before it was saved by MacGillivray.

Neither side could find a breakthrough after that, as despite six minutes stoppage time, which became eight after an injury to Crawley skipper and ex-Don Jay Williams, not many chances were created and the game ended up goalless.

MK Dons: MacGillivray – Offord, Nelson, Ekpiteta – Jones, Matete (Crowley 37), Kelly (Lemonheigh-Evans 84), Mellish (Tomlinson 84) – Wiles, Hepburn-Murphy (Hogan 73), Gilbey

Subs not used: Trueman, Nemane, Leko

Booked: Offord

Crawley: Chapman – Flint (Russell 80), Bajrami, Barker – Gordon (Forster 87), Williams, Ferizaj, Richards (Pereira 66) – Darcy – Orsi, Lolos (A. Adeyemo 80)

Subs not used: Odimayo, T. Adeyemo

Booked: Bajrami, Williams