Single goal sees MK Dons to win against Bristol Rovers and achieve third straight win

MK Dons made it 3 wins in a row as a Callum Paterson goal saw them beat Bristol Rovers 1-0.

Paterson’s goal in first half stoppage time was the difference as the Dons edged out the struggling side from the West Country.

Victory means that the Dons are now up to second in League Two, with Paul Warne’s side at the front of a queue that sees 4 points split them from 7th placed Swindon Town. They are also now six points behind leaders Bromley.

Having scored five in a handsome win over Shrewsbury at the weekend, MK Dons had another side fighting against relegation to the National League, with Bristol Rovers arriving on the back of a run of just one win in their previous 16 outings before the trip to Milton Keynes.

Warne opted to make a few alterations, including a first start for recent signing Jay Matete, but it would be a slower start as the Dons struggled to get early momentum.

Bristol Rovers would come close early on as Fabrizio Cavegn lead a counter attack, with the Swiss striker holding off Aaron Nemane before firing straight at Craig MacGillivray.

Despite their poor form, the visitors were causing MK Dons problems, with Taylor Moore seeing two shots blocked at a long-throw in the midst of a stop-start first-half. An effort also opened up for ex-Dons man Ellis Harrison, who saw a mishit strike bobble wide.

But the Dons would soon come very close to take the lead. After winning a free-kick, Ben Wiles’ delivery eventually ricocheted the way of Luke Offord, who hit a sweet first-time strike that bounced off the crossbar.

The visitors responded in kind, as Shaq Forde’s pass released Cavegn, who saw a strike well saved by Dons keeper MacGillivray.

A bone of contention then came in stoppage time, as a collision between Paterson and Bristol Rovers’ Joel Senior left the latter on the floor. The visitors were adamant the incident should’ve lead to Paterson being shown a second yellow, but after calming down a confrontation between the players and the benches, the referee let it go with just a warning.

The visitors would be left even more annoyed when, a few moments later, Paterson got on the end of a cross by ex-Rovers man Aaron Collins to score his fourth in two goals and put MK Dons in front.

This wasn’t the only time MK Dons had come close in injury time, as in-between the incident where Rovers felt Paterson got away with one and the goal, Jon Mellish saw a header from a cross bounce off the post.

MK Dons would see a half-chance fall their way after the break as half-time substitute Liam Kelly saw a strike deflected into Brad Young’s arms, while Young also made a save to keep out Alex Gilbey.

Bristol Rovers made changes and began to offer more going forward. Dutch striker Mees Rijks, making his debut as a sub, saw a curling effort go over the top, with Rijks then heading over from a corner a few moments later.

Ryan de Havilland would see a long-ranger blocked before Rovers would again come close. Substitute Yusuf Akhamrich did well to keep the ball in play before crossing to Forde, who headed over from close range.

MK Dons would then miss a chance to clinch the points, as Collins fed his fellow ex-Bolton man Gethin Jones, only for the wing-back to see his strike be saved by Young.

But for the remainder of the game, Warne’s side kept their guests at arms’ length, preventing Bristol Rovers from creating many opportunities to equalise, as they saw the job done to pick up the points.

The result means they moved up a place as Salford, who began the night second, conceded a late goal to lose at home to Chesterfield, with the Dons looking to keep their winning run when they make a tough trip to Grimsby at the weekend.

MK Dons: MacGillivray – Offord, Nelson, Sanders – Nemane (Jones 77), Wiles (Lemonheigh-Evans 83), Matete (Kelly 45), Gilbey, Mellish – Paterson (Hogan 83), Collins (Ekpiteta 90+3)

Subs not used: Trueman, Crowley

Goal: Paterson (45+7)

Booked: Paterson, Offord

Bristol Rovers: Young – Moore, Mola (Conteh 77), Harbottle – Senior (Akamrich 68), Balmer, De Havilland, Sparkes – Forde, Harrison (Rijks 63), Cavegn

Subs not used: Southwood, Hutchinson, Thomas, Morton

Booked: Harbottle, Conteh, Sparkes