MK Dons drew 2-2 with Barnet in North London after recovering from falling 2-0 down to their hosts.
Adam Senior and Mark Shelton had put the Bees two goals up inside the opening half hour, but MK Dons would recover as Jack Sanders and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored the goals to wipe out the home side’s lead.
Both sides created and spurned chances to take the win for themselves, but neither would, as the game ended all square at The Hive.
A draw means MK Dons sit 4th in the League Two table, as the lead of one of 4 sides level on 25 points after 15 games. They are 4 points behind Walsall and Swindon, who are tied on 29 points at the top of the table, with the Dons welcoming 3rd place Salford to Stadium MK in their next league outing.
MK Dons made a slow start against last season’s National League champions, with the visitors falling behind after 13 minutes. Nnamdi Ofoborh’s cross picked out Senior, and the latter drilled it past Connal Trueman to put the home side into the lead.
Just before the half-hour, Barnet would make it 2-0 from the penalty spot. Jon Mellish’s foul on Glover was penalised by the referee, and Shelton scored from 12 yards.
But the Dons would improve from this nadir and they grabbed a goal back in the final stages of the first half. Liam Kelly’s corner was flicked on by Rushian Hepburn-Murphy into the path of Sanders, who drilled his shot into the back of the net.
Barnet would have a goal disallowed in the second half when they were awarded an indirect free-kick only for Shelton’s free-kick to go directly in instead, falling foul of the rule and the goal was chalked off.
MK Dons knocked on the door after the break and 20 minutes after half-time, they would get their equaliser. Aaron Nemane’s cross wasn’t fully cleared and Mendez-Laing duly placed his strike past Barnet keeper Cieran Slicker to make it 2-2.
A feisty game duly opened up, with Luke Offord denied by a brilliant save from Slicker before Mendez-Laing hit the side-netting from a similar position to his equaliser.
But the visitors were unable to find a third and they would very nearly concede themselves, as Oli Hawkins bundled the Bees in front in the third minute of stoppage time, but before he could truly celebrate, an offside flag denied the Barnet substitute.
That brought an end to proceedings, and with it, the points were shared.
Brackley Town’s FA Cup Second Round match against Burton Albion will be broadcast on TV.
The Saints’ tie at home to the League One side will be shown by TNT Sport on Monday 8th December, with the match played as a 7:30pm kick-off. The match will be broadcast on TNT Sport 1 and will also be shown on the attached streaming platform Discovery+.
Brackley’s tie is one of 6 that TNT Sport will be broadcasting during the round, with the broadcaster showing matches from Friday 5th December through to the tie at Brackley, which will be the last tie of the Second Round to be played.
Being chosen for TV means Brackley will have had both of their ties broadcast on UK TV, after their First Round tie against Notts County was shown on the BBC.
The Saints have confirmed that TV details of the time at St James Park will be released in due course.
Brackley will be hosting the Brewers as they chase a first ever place in the Third Round of the FA Cup. The win over Notts County saw them reach the Second Round of the competition for the fifth time, and for the second time in as many seasons.
Burton Albion booked their place with a comfortable 6-0 win over Isthmian League Premier Division side St Albans City at the Pirelli Stadium. They currently sit 15th in the third tier, having pulled off a surprise 2-1 victory over high-flying Bradford City in their most recent game.
Luton Town continued their upturn in form after a 3-0 win over League One leaders Stockport County at Edgeley Park.
Jake Richards, Cohen Bramall and Isaiah Jones did the honours for Jack Wilshere’s outfit, in a game that also saw Luton keeper Josh Keeley save Nathan Lowe’s penalty in-between the second and third Luton goals.
Victory in Greater Manchester means Luton have won four games in a row in all competitions, with the Bedfordshire club up to 9th position, sitting 3 points off the play-offs.
In a clash between two teams who have the nickname The Hatters, it was the home side who were busier in the opening phase.
Stockport, who had taken top spot after being unbeaten in 7 League One games, had early chances, with Callum Camps and Jack Diamond having strikes blocked by Luton defenders.
The hosts pressed in the opening half-hour, with Lowe firing one strike wide when well-placed and another denied by Luton keeper Keeley, before Kyle Wootton missed the target from close range.
But having kept Stockport from opening the scoring, Luton struck the opening goal of the game just after the half-hour mark. Bramall’s cross was not cleared by Stockport and ended up falling the way of Richards, who was able to bundle the ball home for his first Luton goal.
Luton would then make it 2 goals in 4 minutes. A foul on Jones on the edge of the box gave the visitors a free-kick and Bramall’s perfectly placed free-kick beat Stockport keeper Ben Hinchcliffe to make it 2-0.
Both sides came close to adding a further goal after the break, with Stockport’s Wootton missing the target from close range before Hinchcliffe made the stop to deny Luton’s Nahki Wells.
Stockport were awarded a penalty ten minutes after half-time after a foul by Jones on Odin Bailey, but the hosts failed to convert it into a goal back as Keeley made the save to deny Lowe from 12 yards.
The visitors then made it 3-0 with just over 20 minutes to go, as Richards fed Jones, and the Luton right-back charged forward before firing into the back of the Stockport net.
Stockport’s miserable day got worse when Owen Dodgson was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Gideon Kodua, meaning the hosts had to spend the final phase of the game a player down.
Luton will aim to continue their momentum next weekend, as the Hatters welcome Rotherham United to Kenilworth Road next Saturday.
Northampton Town beat Mansfield Town 2-1 at Sixfields after coming from behind to win the League One contest.
Rhys Oates had put the Stags in front, but second half goals by Jack Perkins and Tom Eaves turned the game on its head, and Kevin Nolan’s side would duly get the job done to win the match.
The result handed a boost to the Cobblers, who had lost their previous three outings in league and FA Cup. After 15 games, Nolan’s side have 20 points in the third tier, which has them sat 13th in the table. They are 5 points off the play-offs and 5 points clear of the relegation zone.
Seeking a reaction after being on the wrong end of an FA Cup upset at League Two Oldham last time out, Northampton had started brightly. Jordan Thorniley saw a header from Terry Taylor’s corner just go wide before former Cobblers keeper Liam Roberts denied Cameron McGeehan at close range.
But although the hosts had early chances, Northampton fell behind after 18 minutes. Will Evans’ pass released Oates, who saw a strike from the edge of the penalty area fly into the bottom corner.
Mansfield could’ve struck for a second time in the latter stages of the first half, with Stephen McLaughlin’s header both narrowly missing the target and failing to sit for the visitors’ George Maris to tap in.
Northampton picked up after the break and they scored to make it 1-1 8 minutes into the half. Conor McCarthy’s cross found McGeehan, who flicked on for Perkins to head home and bring the Cobblers back level.
Mansfield were close to retaking the lead when Maris, who replaced former Cobbler Tyler Roberts, was able to have a shot that only just narrowly missed the target.
But it would be Northampton that scored the game’s third goal. Frazer Blake-Tracy fouled Ethan Wheatley in the box, and from the penalty spot, home sub Eaves beat Roberts to put Northampton in front for the first time in the afternoon.
Lucas Akins headed straight at Ross Fitzsimons in the away side’s best chance for a leveller, while during nine minutes of stoppage time, the best chances fell for the home side as Wheatley fired wide before Roberts denied late Cobblers sub Elliot List.
But the home side did the job, as Northampton picked up the three points to return to winning ways after recent misfortune.
The Cobblers will now turn their attention to the EFL Trophy, when they welcome Shrewsbury to Sixfields, while with their next league game at Barnsley postponed due to international call-ups, Northampton’s next league assignment sees them host Cardiff on November 22nd.
Former MK Dons boss Liam Manning has been sacked by Championship side Norwich City.
The 40-year-old has been relieved of his duties by the side from Norfolk after a miserable start to the Championship season. Norwich have lost 10 out of their first 15 games of the second tier season, including all 7 of their home games at Carrow Road.
Manning’s dismissal was confirmed by Norwich earlier today (08/11) a few hours after the latest result, which saw the Canaries lose 2-1 at home to Leicester City.
The Canaries confirmed that assistant head coach Chris Hogg and first-team coach analyst James Krause have also left the club. The club have announced that first-team coach Ryan Garry, supported by goalkeeper coach Tony Roberts and set piece coach Nick Stanley, are to take charge on an interim basis until the appointment of a successor.
In a statement, Norwich City’s Sporting Director Ben Knapper said, “We have tried absolutely everything possible to work through this incredibly challenging period but, unfortunately, given the recent run of results and performances, we have been left with no choice other than to make a change at this stage.
“Liam and his staff worked tirelessly to move our football club forward. They are all fundamentally good people and we wish them the very best in whatever comes next.
“We very much understand the frustration and criticism from our supporters at this stage. So far, results and performances on the pitch haven’t been good enough. We accept that responsibility, but it’s now imperative that we start to repair the relationship with our supporters and do everything we can to give them something to get behind.”
Manning had moved from Bristol City to Norwich in the summer after an impressive season at Ashton Gate last season, in which the Robins finished 6th and reached the second tier play-offs for the first time since 2008.
However, Norwich have struggled under Manning’s watch, picking up just 2 wins from their league matches so far this season. They have also failed to win since August 30th, and had lost 7 of their last 8 games, with the exception being a draw against bottom side Sheffield Wednesday.
Manning previously managed MK Dons between August 2021 and December 2022, which was his first role as a senior manager in English football after impressing in Belgian football.
He took the Dons to third in League One in his first season at Stadium MK, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion and losing to Wycombe in the play-offs, before he then left the Dons in December 2022 after a difficult start to the following campaign as the Dons struggled to an eventual relegation.
