MK Dons beat Gillingham 3-2 at Stadium MK as they managed to hold out despite a late comeback.

An early own goal by Sam Gale gave the hosts the advantage, before Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Callum Paterson scored goals to give the home side a 3-0 lead with 20 minutes or so to go.

Gillingham would come close to a comeback when Seb Palmer-Houden and Jonny Williams scored goals to reduce the deficit from three goals to one, but it wasn’t enough for the Gills to pull off what had looked like an unlikely draw.

MK Dons, by contrast, were able to take a first home win since mid-August, as they held on to win at Stadium MK for the first time since beating Cheltenham. It also saw the Dons make it back-to-back wins, having won at Shrewsbury in their previous assignment.

Having taken a victory in Shropshire in their last outing, MK Dons returned home to try and pick up victory at Stadium MK, having lost each of their previous 3 home matches in League Two. They welcomed Gillingham, who had lost for the first time in League Two this season in their previous game and who were missing boss Gareth Ainsworth, after the club confirmed he had to take a leave of absence for heart surgery.

MK Dons’ preparations weren’t helped by injuries, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy out through a training injury before Scott Hogan was taken off injured during the warm-up.

This lead to a reshuffle by MK Dons, who introduced Laurence Maguire and shifted to a back 3. A by-product of Maguire’s inclusion saw the defender contribute to the Dons’ opener inside just six minutes.

A long throw had initially been cleared, but Paterson’s second cross could only be parried by Glenn Morris in the Gills goal. Maguire’s shot ended up striking Gale, before bobbling into the net for an own goal.

Will Collar would miskick when well placed as the hosts searched for a second, before Gillingham nearly equalised when Andy Smith headed wide from a ball into the box.

It was the Dons who looked likelier to grab the game’s second strike in the first half, with Paterson having a shot deflected wide before Maguire fired over at a corner. Morris would also make a stop to keep out Aaron Nemane’s effort from range.

Gillingham had tentatively offered more with some set-pieces before half-time, but started the second half in a more forward manner. Ethan Coleman had headed over from one set-piece before their best chance came when Robbie McKenzie was denied by Craig MacGillivray.

After starting the second half on the back foot, however, MK Dons would make it 2-0 just before the hour mark. Liam Kelly’s pass released Mendez-Laing, who was able to twist and turn away from two covering defenders before finding the bottom corner.

The hosts then spurned a chance to make it 3-0. Mendez-Laing flew down the right flank for the hosts before teeing up Kelly, who was in a prime position to score only to fire a strike into the side-netting.

With just over 20 minutes remaining, MK Dons would grab a third. In a similar move to the spurned Kelly chance, Will Collar was able to make a quick run down the right hand side for the hosts before teeing up Paterson, and the strike was able to poke the ball home on the stretch.

Gillingham would grab a goal back a few moments later. Aaron Rowe’s cross was batted away by MacGillivray but only as far as Gills sub Palmer-Houlden, who placed a first time strike into the roof of the net.

It initially looked as though Gillingham were set to run out of time for their comeback, but did find a second goal in the fourth minute of added time. Williams was able to outmuscle Nathan Thompson to reach Gale’s long ball and then poke the ball beyond MacGillivray.

But after one corner came and went without a chance created, MK Dons were able to see things through and take the points on a windy day in Milton Keynes.

MK Dons: MacGillivray – Offord, Ekpiteta, Maguire (Thompson 87) – Nemane, Collar (Thompson-Sommers 83), Kelly (Crowley 83), Gilbey, Mellish – Paterson, Mendez-Laing (Leko 87)

Subs not used: Trueman, Tripp

Goal: Gale (og 6), Mendez-Laing (57), Paterson (69)

Booked: Maguire

Gillingham: Morris – Hutton, Smith, Gayle, Ogie (Clark 77) – McKenzie – Rowe (Cirino 77), Coleman, Williams – Andrews (Vokes 65), Nevitt (Palmer-Houlden 65)

Subs not used: Turner, Akomeah, Khumbeni

Goal: Palmer-Houden (76), Williams (90+4)

Booked: Smith, Hutton, Andrews

Fire services were called a car fire spread to houses in Milton Keynes.

The incident was reported on Cruickshank Grove in the Crownhill area of the city, with reports of the fire breaking out around 1:20pm yesterday (02/10).

A car fire broke out on the driveway of a property, before the fire then affected a nearby garage door, a second car and first floor balcony of a two storey detached property.

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue reported that the engine compartment of one car was 100% damaged by fire, the cab was approx 50% damaged and the second vehicle sustained approx 30% fire damage.

Two crews from the West Ashland fire station attended the incident, with firefighters using two breathing apparatus sets, one hose reel jet, one short extension ladder and small tools.

The fire service confirmed that firefighters remained on scene for an extended period of time for damping down and checking for hotspots. Home fire safety advice was also provided to the occupiers.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for high wind in England, including the Milton Keynes area, for the approach of Storm Amy.

The yellow warning will start at midnight tonight (03/10) and be in place until 7pm on Saturday evening (04/10), with the storm noted by the Met Office as bringing a period of strong and gusty winds to parts of England and Wales on Saturday.

Wind speeds are currently forecast to peak around 50mph at around 11-12 on Saturday morning/lunchtime, with the high winds being the first named storm of the 2025/26 windstorm season.

Warnings suggest that some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are possible and that there is a possibility that some bus and train services will be affected, with some journeys taking longer.

The warning also states that delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely.

Some short term loss of power and other services is possible, while the warning also states that it’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.

A former EFL referee from Milton Keynes has been sentenced to over 13 years in jail for multiple child sex offences.

Gareth Viccars, 47, of Quadrans Close, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes, was sentenced to 13.5 years with three and a half on license following a sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London on Thursday 2 October. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Viccars has previously plead guilty to 16 counts relating to sexual offences, including sexual activity with a child and meeting a child following sexual grooming, at the same court on Friday 11 July. The offences relate to three victims and took place between November 2021 and October 2024.

At the time, Viccars had been working as an assistant referee. In a statement, the refereeing body for professional football in England, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, said he was suspended “as soon as the allegations came to light”.

The Metropolitan Police in London have said they are now leading an appeal for other potential victims to come forwards, following an investigation which was supported by the Northamptonshire Police and Cambridgeshire Police forces.

Detective Chief Inspector Ross Morrell, who led the Met’s investigation, said, “Viccars’ offending is shocking. He would regularly reach out to young girls, who he would build relationships with using lies and manipulation and then sexually assault.

“Today’s sentencing reflects the Met’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, with our increased specialist teams working together with partner police forces to strengthen the evidence.

“We are appealing today for anyone who believes they or their children may be a victim of Viccars to come forwards. We believe there may be hundreds of further victims who have not yet reported to the police.

“Any further victims are entitled to receive specialist support and guidance, not only from the police but independent charities and services.”

Following Viccars’ sentencing, the Metropolitan Police said that their detectives are appealing for any other potential victim-survivors to come forward.

Detectives suspect there could be hundreds of girls who Viccars committed offences against, due to his random and widespread messaging. Despite using an alias name and routinely changing his social media accounts, the methods and lies he had made up about his life are recognisable as they were consistent throughout his offending.