MK Dons lost 2-0 to Colchester United as they were beaten through a pair of late goals by the Essex club.

The Dons missed several chances at 0-0 and would be duly undone when Arthur Read and former Dons loanee Jack Payne grabbed goals in the final stages to win the game for Danny Cowley’s side.

Defeat means the Dons are still looking for their first win of the new campaign, having lost their season opener to Bradford City and to Watford in the Carabao Cup.

MK Dons missed a strong chance to open the scoring in the first two minutes. A through-pass released Stephen Wearne, who rounded Matt Macey but could only go wide and to a more unfriendly shooting position. He elected to pass back to Tom Carroll, who fired a shot into the stands.

Both sides would have their moments in the remainder of the first half, but what minimal opportunities ended up on target were straight forward for Macey and Tom McGill in the respective goals. Macey did enough to put off Callum Hendry in the Dons’ best moment, while McGill made a straight-forward stop to keep out Payne.

In the second half, Hendry saw a shot blocked after being picked out by Gilbey before McGill made a stop to keep out Payne.

Much closer was Hendry, whose first-time shot from Joe Tomlinson’s cross was well blocked by Macey.

MK Dons then came very close with just under 15 minutes left to play. Wearne was able to run into space and saw a drive parried by Macey, when the loose ball fell to Gilbey. The former Colchester man, who scored in the equivalent fixture last season, duly hit a strike that beat Macey but crashed off the post, and the U’s keeper also kept out a Tomlinson free-kick.

But Colchester then took the lead. A counter attacking move released Read, who was able to run into space on the Dons’ left flank, elude the attentions of covering defender Jack Tucker and placed in a low shot just out of McGill’s reach.

Colchester nearly put things out of the Dons’ reach near the end of the 90 when McGill had to tip a deflected shot just over the top, before visiting debutant Connor Lemonhaigh-Evans missed the target with a header.

But MK Dons’ defeat was rubber-stamped in the fourth minute of stoppage time. McGill had saved an initial shot from Payne, but Colchester maintained pressure and Payne’s second attempt would find a way over McGill and in for 2-0 and game over.

MK Dons will look to bounce back with a first win of the season next time out when they host Carlisle United at Stadium MK.