A late goal by Alex Gilbey saw MK Dons just edge out Harrogate Town 2-1 at Stadium MK.

It had looked as though MK Dons had seen their hopes of a first win in five games disappear when Joe White’s first half goal was cancelled out by Zico Asare’s deflected strike in second half injury time.

However, Gilbey’s firm strike less than two minutes later won the day for MK Dons, as they picked up a first win since New Year’s Day and a first home win since early December.

The late success see MK Dons climb a place in the League Two table to 11th position, with the team now 7 points behind the play-offs.

Having picked up a point against AFC Wimbledon in a game where they felt unlucky not to take all three points in their previous outing, MK Dons looked to try and grab a first home win in January in their last attempt to do so.

Visiting Milton Keynes were a Harrogate side that had been getting points on the board, with the side from Yorkshire having picked up 2 wins and a draw in their last 4 games.

With Luke Offord and Sam Sherring absent, the Dons gave a full league debut to youngster Charlie Waller, who was sporting a bandage from his head injury sustained in the late stages of the match on Saturday.

The visitors carried a threat early on, with Harrogate coming close in the first few moments on as Josh March saw an angled strike denied by Craig MacGillivray.

MK Dons were struggling to get going in the early stages, with Harrogate coming close again as Toby Sims headed over at a corner.

There was then a further blow for MK Dons in the form of an injury. Defender Nathan Thompson, who was making just his second appearance for the club, suffered damage while challenging for a free-kick and despite trying to carry on, the defender had to be withdrawn.

A few moments after they were forced into their reshuffle, however, MK Dons took the lead. Newcastle loanee White picked up the ball and went on a charge, eluding multiple Harrogate defenders on a slaloming run into the box before lashing a strike into the bottom corner.

Aaron Nemane saw a shot deflected wide just after in home side attempts for a quick second.

In response, however, Harrogate had some good chances of their own. Waller was forced to make a block after Olly Sanderson’s shot beat Craig MacGillivray, and from the consequent corner, Ellis Taylor’s drive from outside the box was deflected onto the post.

Sensing a goal might be in it for them, Harrogate began the second half on the attack, but found themselves snatching at opportunities, with Dean Cornelius having one shot blocked and another sail wide before Bryant Bilongo headed over at a corner.

Gilbey headed over on a brief break for the Dons, but Harrogate continued to pose a danger to the hosts, with Taylor heading wide at another corner. Even closer was Sims, who was first to the ball after MK Dons failed to clear a corner and the defender’s hit smashed off the post with MacGillivray beaten.

Although they spent a lot of the second half on the back foot, MK Dons nearly scored a second in unexpected circumstances as Gilbey won the ball and had a go from 40 yards that only just bounced past the post.

Taylor would see a shot denied by MacGillivray as the visitors remained the team that looked likelier to grab a second goal.

In a brief flurry, however, MK Dons came close to make it 2-0. First, Waller saw a header denied acrobatically by Harrogate keeper James Belshaw, before a Tomlinson shot from the consequent corner took a deflection and bounced barely wide of the mark.

As the game approached the final minutes, Harrogate pressed in search of an equaliser but with a few strikes going wide of the mark when through on goal, it looked like the push might come up short.

That was, however, until the second minute of stoppage time. Harrogate substitute Asare was first to the loose ball after MK Dons failed to fully clear a corner and the full-backs strike took a big deflection off Connor Lemonheigh-Evans before arcing in off a post.

Less than two minutes later, however, MK Dons responded emphatically. Callum Hendry was first to a rushed clearance and the sub laid the ball off to Gilbey, who thrashed a firm strike into the top corner to restore MK Dons’ advantage.

Harrogate had no answer to that, with MK Dons snatching victory from the jaws of defeat despite an unconvincing display.

MK Dons: MacGillivray – Lawrence, Thompson (Thompson-Sommers 24), Waller – Nemane (Lemonheigh-Evans 63), White (O’Reilly 71), Williams, Tomlinson – Crowley, Hogan (Hendry 63), Gilbey

Subs not used: McGill, Harrison, Kelly

Goal: White (27), Gilbey (90+3)

Booked: Thompson, Waller, Gilbey, White

Harrogate: Belshaw – Sims, O’Connor, Moon, Bilongo (Asare 80) – Cornelius (Cursons 80), Morris, Sutton (Hill 72), Taylor – Sanderson (Muldoon 64), March

Subs not used: Oxley, Daly, Dooley

Goal: Asare (90+2)

Booked: Morris, Sutton, Hill