MK Dons and Doncaster Rovers shared the points after a 1-1 draw at Stadium MK in which both teams finished with ten men.
In the Dons’ first game since Mike Williamson left in midweek to join Carlisle, caretaker manager Dean Lewington saw his hopes of victory raised when Doncaster’s Harry Clifton was sent off early on before Ellis Harrison put his side in front.
But Harrison would himself be sent off just after half time, and the Dons’ couldn’t hold out to take three points as Tom Anderson’s header brought Doncaster level late on.
The result is the Dons’ first draw of the new League Two season, with the team having picked up 7 points from the first 7 and seeing them sit in 19th position in the developing table.
The game against Rovers came after a busy week off-pitch at Stadium MK. Rumours first emerged on Tuesday that the club’s Head Coach Williamson was of interest to Carlisle United, and the news would soon be confirmed, with Williamson moving to Cumbria in a move announced on Thursday.
Club captain Lewington duly took temporary charge, doing so for the third time but the first time where he was taking charge of a home match.
His reshuffled side included starts for MJ Williams and Ellis Harrison, neither of whom had started a league game so far this season, but against a Doncaster side who began the day 6th and who hadn’t played in over a week, the Dons picked up an early boost when the visitors were reduced to ten men inside ten minutes.
Clifton had already been shown an early booking for a foul on Harrison, when a second foul by Clifton, also on Harrison, duly earned him a second yellow card and the consequent red.
This saw MK Dons face a different dynamic in trying to unlock a tightly packed Doncaster defensive line, which proved a stubborn barrier for the home side in the early moments after the dismissal.
Doncaster would break and get the ball in the back of the net but for a foul on goalkeeper Tom McGill in the build-up, before the Dons soon began to up the tempo. A few long range hits were blocked but much closer was Joe Tomlinson, who saw a decent strike dipping towards goal and having to be turned over by Doncaster keeper Ted Sharman-Lowe.
It would be the Dons that would ultimately strike first, doing so just after half an hour. A flowing move down the right saw Aaron Nemane pick the ball up, play a one-two to create space and play in a firm low cross for Harrison to tap home.
MK Dons would also see a goal disallowed, with Conor Lemonhaigh-Evans flagged offside before he rounded the keeper and finished, while the visitors showed a degree of danger with Jordan Gibson missing the target with some ambitious strikes from range.
But with the game still 1-0, MK Dons’ position became less secure when they were reduced to ten themselves. A high and late foot by Harrison caught away captain Owen Bailey, and the referee immediately responded by sending off the Dons’ scorer.
Despite this, MK Dons nearly found a second goal immediately afterwards, as a fast break released Alex Gilbey, who saw a strike denied by Sharman-Lowe.
Doncaster duly made a triple change in an attempt to seize the initiative, changing to a system featuring wing-backs and two strikers.
McGill was forced into stops to keep out Ephraim Yeboah and Lee Molyneux, with the latter then seeing a further drive repelled by McGill and another dangerous cross just prodded wide.
But pressure told for the visitors, who equalised with less than ten minutes of the 90 to go. From a corner, Anderson reached Joe Sbarra’s delivery first and sent a header into the bottom corner to land the equaliser.
Doncaster nearly prized the points out of the Dons’ grasp in the very last minute of five added on, as a deep cross picked out Jay McGrath, who couldn’t keep the header on target.
But a draw was ultimately the final score, with MK Dons now facing a week ahead of their next game against Bromley where they look to see if Lewington will remain in post for the trip to South East London or if they will find the new occupant of the Stadium MK hot seat.
MK Dons: McGill – Tucker, Offord, Maguire – Nemane (Ilunga 70), Kelly (Finch 56), Williams, Tomlinson – Lemonhaigh-Evans (White 80), Harrison, Gilbey
Subs not used: Harness, Wearne, Leigh, Tripp
Goal: Harrison (34)
Sent Off: Harrison (51)
Booked: Nemane, Gilbey
Doncaster: Sharman-Lowe – Sterry (Olowu 61), Anderson, McGrath, Fleming (Yeboah 61) – Bailey, Close (Sbarra 70) – Molyneux (Kelly 90), Clifton, Gibson (Sharp 61) – Ironside
Subs not used: Lawlor, Broadbent
Goal: Anderson (82)
Sent Off: Clifton (10)
Booked: Clifton, Yeboah