MK Dons out of FA Cup after penalty pain against Oxford United

MK Dons are out of the FA Cup in the Third Round stage after losing a penalty shoot-out against Oxford United.

After a 1-1 draw at Stadium MK, Jonathan Leko and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans failed to score their spot kicks, meaning Oxford won the shootout 4-3 and progressed to Round 4 for the first time since the 2019/20 season.

The Dons did have multiple opportunities through the contest as they went toe to toe with the Championship side, but they were unable to find the victory that would’ve seen them reach the Fourth Round for the first time since the 2017/18 campaign.

After late disappointment in league games against Colchester and Chesterfield, the Dons turned their attention to trying to pull off an FA Cup upset at home to Championship strugglers Oxford United.

One spectator of note on a cold Friday night in Milton Keynes was Matt Bloomfield, who was announced less than 3 hours before kick-off as the next Oxford Head Coach. Interim coach Craig Short would carry on, having been in charge since Gary Rowett’s departure just before Christmas.

In the early phase of the contest, MK Dons would settle quickly, with Scott Hogan having an early effort deflected wide.

Away keeper Matt Ingram, selected ahead of ex-Don Jamie Cumming, then made two good stops, denying Hogan and then making a good save to deny new Dons midfielder Ben Wiles.

Oxford suffered a blow when Jamie Donley was taken off after a heavy landing following a collision with Luke Offord, but they began to offer a little more, with Stanley Mills heading one effort over and seeing another hit from outside the box saved by Craig MacGillivray.

Just after the half-hour mark, MK Dons would take the lead. Dan Crowley’s corner was helped on by Jack Sanders and Lemonheigh-Evans to Collins, who struck from close range.

Collins then nearly grabbed his second of the night. A through-ball by Kane Thompson-Sommers released the ex-Bolton man to charge to the box, only to be denied by Ingram.

Ingram then made another save to deny Aaron Nemane’s strike after the Dons’ wing-back’s run had got him to the box.

But it was Oxford who would grab the game’s next goal and with it an equaliser. Will Vaulks’ long throw wasn’t cleared by MK Dons and Spurs loanee Lankshear was able to fire a strike into the bottom corner.

The game would remain open, however, with MK Dons then having a spell of positive pressure. Debutant sub Jay Matete released Collins, who saw a firm strike denied by Ingram, before Ingram then made another big stop to deny Sanders and Collins headed over from close range at a corner.

Oxford would come close to a late winner, however, as substitute Ole Romenji had a snapshot parried over by MacGillivray.

With the scores level after 90 minutes, extra-time was duly required, and it was Oxford with the best chances in the first half of extra time. They both fell for sub Brian De Keersmaecker, as the Belgian saw one effort held by MacGillivray and another strike denied by a flying save from the Dons keeper.

The visitors then had another good chance in the second half of extra-time. Sanders slipped and that opened the door for Peart-Harris, only for the Oxford debutant to fire straight at MacGillivray when he reached the box.

As no winner was found from either side in extra-time either, that meant penalties would determine the victors of the contest.

MK Dons found themselves up against it when Leko missed with the Dons’ second penalty. Every other penalty in the first 4 rounds of spot-kicks was scored, so it meant that Lemonheigh-Evans would have to score the Dons’ fifth kick to have a chance.

Unfortunately for Lemonheigh-Evans, his stop-kick was saved by Ingram, confirming Oxford’s progress in the FA Cup and meaning the Dons’ hopes of a Cup run are over for another season.

MK Dons: MacGillivray – Jones (Burke 99), Sanders, Offord – Lemonheigh-Evans, Crowley (Leko 79), Thompson-Sommers (Kelly 72), Wiles (Matete 72), Nemane (Tripp 59) – Collins, Hogan (Paterson 72)

Subs not used: Trueman, Singh-Hurditt, Boateng

Goal: Collins (34)

Booked: Paterson

Oxford: Ingram – Long, Helik, Davies, Currie – Vaulks (De Keersmaecker 66), Brannagan (Krastev 66) – Mills (Phillips 99), Donley (Peart-Harris 17), Dembele (Romenji 66) – Lankshear (Harris 90)

Subs not used: Cumming, Spencer, Leigh

Goal: Lankshear (52)