A 3-1 home defeat to Leyton Orient saw MK Dons knocked out of the EFL Trophy in the group stage.

Charlie Kelman gave the visitors an early lead, before Sonny Perkins doubled the away side’s advantage.

A fine strike by Callum Hendry reduced the deficit, but MK Dons found chance creation a struggle and they were unable to find an equaliser before sub Dan Agyei put the game out of their reach in second half stoppage time.

That meant a group stage elimination for the Dons from the EFL Trophy, with the team confirmed as finishing bottom of their group after failing to win any of their three matches in 90 minutes, and as a result the loss also confirmed the exit from the last of the 3 knockout competitions MK Dons’ senior team were entered into this season.

The final game of the EFL Trophy’s group stage saw both MK Dons and Leyton Orient enter the game knowing they needed a win to maintain hopes of getting into the next stage of the competition.

With both sides having had one defeat and one penalty shootout win after a draw from their first two games of the competition’s group stage, MK Dons and Leyton Orient needed a win to overhaul one of Colchester and the Arsenal U21s, who were having their own simultaneous meeting in Essex.

MK Dons boss Scott Lindsey embraced rotation for the contest, making 11 changes from the side victorious against Swindon Town in their preceding league outing.

But the hosts would fall behind early on against a Leyton Orient team who had brushed Blackpool aside at the weekend.

The goal came through Kelman, who robbed a dallying Jack Tucker on the edge of the box, advanced and finished.

The visitors had started brighter, with Tom James seeing a strike denied by Harness just before his side opened the scoring and another opportunity go over just after the Orient goal.

Lewis Warrington then headed over at a corner as the visitors maintained their positive outlook, and they duly scored a second goal with just over 20 minutes gone.

A low pass by Kelman down the Orient right released Perkins, who beat the offside flag. From there, Perkins broke into the box, managed to force the ball past Harness after he had come off of his line and tap the ball home.

The slow start was hurting MK Dons’ hopes of progression, but they did hand themselves a way back with a strike just after the half-hour. A touch back by Ellis Harrison found Hendry, and the former Salford striker duly arced a fine strike in off the woodwork.

Things nearly got better for the Dons, as a decent moved saw the ball find Brooklyn Ilunga, who hit the side-netting.

Hendry then saw a long-range free-kick acrobatically denied by Zach Hemming in first half stoppage time.

Tommy Leigh would see a firm hit just fall wide of the mark in the opening stages of the second half, while the visitors did have the ball in the back of the net for a third time only for an offside flag to deny Jamie Donley.

A stop-start second half saw MK Dons struggle for attacking momentum, with a set-piece melee and a moment that saw both Harrison and Albert Wood have shots blocked as close as they came.

Leyton Orient then saw another disallowed goal after Kelman was ruled to have strayed offside before meeting a cross that he converted.

The hosts’ chance creation issues continued in the second half, and instead as the game entered the closing stages, it was Leyton Orient with the better chances. Dan Happe’s header from a short corner was well denied by Harness, before Agyei missed when in prime position to score from a cross from the left.

But Agyei wouldn’t be so merciful the next time, as the Orient substitute received Diallang Jaiyesimi’s pass, broke into the box and arrowed a low shot into the corner to confirm defeat for the Dons and with it the end of the road for their EFL Trophy participation.

MK Dons: Harness – Stirland, Tucker, Lewington – Wood (Brammeld 85), Pritchard, Lemonheigh-Evans, Ilunga – Hendry, Harrison, Leigh

Subs not used: Stacey, Lewis-Burgess, Silver, Sinclair-Linton, Troso, Medwynter

Goal: Hendry (31)

Booked: Hendry, Lewington, Lindsey (HC), Wood

Leyton Orient: Hemming – James, Cooper, Happe – Currie – Warrington (Pratley 67) – Perkins (O’Neil 57), Donley (Agyei 67), Obiero (Sweeney 77), Graham (Jaiyesimi 57) – Kelman

Subs not used: Phillips, Beckles

Goal: Kelman (6), Perkins (21), Agyei (90+3)

Booked: James, Happe, Obeiro, Cooper