MK Dons brush aside Harrogate in final away day of 2025

MK Dons won 4-0 away at Harrogate Town in their last game before Christmas and final away match of 2025.

Braces from Aaron Collins and Alex Gilbey did the job for Paul Warne’s side, as they secured a comprehensive victory in North Yorkshire.

Victory against the struggling hosts saw MK Dons returning to winning ways after dropping points in their last 2 assignments. The Dons remain 5th, but are 3 points off the automatic promotion places ahead of a big pair of home games against fellow promotion chasers Swindon Town and Notts County.

The Dons had arrived on the back of a home draw against another promotion contender in Cambridge United, having suffered a blow in that game after Nathaniel Mendez-Laing suffered a hamstring injury that required surgery. Laurence Maguire also missed out having also suffered an injury last time out.

But against a Harrogate side without a league win since late September and sitting in the relegation zone, MK Dons began brightly, with Will Collar seeing one effort drift just wide and another hit the goal frame before ricocheting away off home keeper James Belshaw.

As fog rolled in over the ground, it was the Dons who scored the opening goal with a 15th minute strike. Callum Paterson intercepted a loose backpass before teeing up strike partner Collins, who lashed home for his first EFL goal since moving to MK Dons in the summer.

8 minutes later, Luke Offord would see a drive well stopped by Belshaw. From the resulting corner, Collins would grab his second of the day after he got a touch on Paterson’s header to divert it into the goal.

A purple patch for the Dons then got even better when they made it 3-0 just before the half-hour mark. Belshaw kept out Paterson’s initial header, but captain Gilbey followed up to lash home, in turn scoring for the first time since a brace against Crewe in mid-October.

Harrogate’s best chance for a goal back came after half-time, as Shawn McCoulsky saw a strike hit the crossbar with Craig MacGillivray in the away goal beaten.

With 15 minutes to go, Gilbey made it 4-0 with his second of the day, as he received Jon Mellish’s cross and rolled the strike into the bottom corner.

After registering a comfortable win, the Dons’ attentions now turn to a big double header at Stadium MK. Warne’s outfit have a Boxing Day clash with Swindon Town, who currently sit 2nd, before their final game of 2025 sees them host Notts County, who now sit 4th.