MK Dons were beaten 6-3 by Newport County in an eventful game in South Wales in which two Exiles players scored hat-tricks.
Newport had raced into a 4-0 lead in the first half when Bryn Morris scored a hat-trick and Bobby Kamwa scored a further strike.
Luke Offord had made it 4-1 in first half stoppage time only for Kamwa to grab a fifth that seemingly put the game out of the Dons’ reach.
MK Dons got the game back to 5-3 as Joe White and Offord reduced the deficit, but any hope of a previously unlikely comeback dissipated when Kamwa completed his hat-trick, making it 6-3 and sealing the points for the hosts at Rodney Parade.
Defeat drops the Dons to 9th in the League Two table, although they are a point off the play-offs in a congested table and have at least one game in hand on several of the teams ahead of them.
Having suffered a disappointing reverse at Gillingham, MK Dons had hoped for some joy in their last away game in 2024 and their first in several weeks after recent weather-induced postponements of trips to Fleetwood and Barrow. The Dons had been hoping for success against a Newport side that had failed to win any of their previous six games.
The Dons had seen a few promising moves fail to deliver in the opening stages, but a mistake in their defensive ranks lead to Newport opening the scoring in the 12th minute.
Laurence Maguire lost possession a few yards outside his own box, and having won the ball off Maguire, Morris was able to cut inside and drill a fine curling shot into the back of the net.
Just four minutes later, the Dons’ defence was breached again. Luke Jephcott saw an initial shot from Kamwa’s pass denied by Tom McGill but Morris was there to convert the rebound.
Newport then scored again, making it 3 goals in 11 minutes. Nico Lawrence’s pass was intercepted and Jephcott teed up Kamwa, who duly beat McGill.
MK Dons came close to falling 4-0 down just after the half hour when Cameron Antwi blasted off target from close range.
But the visitors’ miserable first half would see them fall 4-0 down with 36 minutes on the clock. Offord was penalised for handball in the box, and from 12 yards, Morris confirmed his hat-trick by beating McGill with his penalty.
Scott Hogan wafted a shot off target before MK Dons did grab a goal back in first half stoppage time. White’s long free-kick into the box found Offord, who was able to force a header into the Newport net.
Any hopes the Dons had of a comeback were however damaged when they conceded again less than two minutes after the restart. Kamwa eluded Maguire’s attentions before being able to loft his shot above McGill and in to make it 5-1.
With just under 20 minutes to go, MK Dons got what seemed like being a further consolation when Ellis Harrison’s set up work saw the ball bobble for White, who was able to strike home his effort.
Any hopes of a Dons comeback were then seemingly further boosted when they made it 5-3 a few minutes after making it 5-2. Offord was able to prod the ball home after a Tom Carroll free-kick wasn’t fully cleared.
But Newport shut the door on the Dons’ comeback ambitions as Kamwa broke an offside trap before drilling a firm strike beyond McGill’s reach.
That condemned the Dons to back-to-back defeats, if in very different circumstances to their 1-0 loss against Gillingham in their previous contest, as they seek to bounce back when they host fellow play-off contenders Notts County on Boxing Day.
Luton Town scored a pair of late goals to come from behind and defeat Derby County 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.
The Hatters’ last home game of 2024 nearly ended in defeat when Kayden Jackson’s goal gave the Rams just before the hour and Luton remained behind with 88 minutes on the clock.
But in the final stages, a Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu strike that deflected in off team-mate Tom Holmes gave Luton an equaliser, before Carlton Morris’ shot deflected in to give the Hatters a surprise three points.
Victory means Luton jump ahead of Derby in the Championship table, and they rise up to 14th position in the second tier table ahead of Saturday’s action.
With defeat at Blackburn continuing Luton’s poor away form last time out, the Hatters were hoping to get points on the board in their final home game before Christmas.
The hosts had early opportunities, with Morris heading wide at a free-kick before Tahith Chong was kept out by Derby keeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
A tight first half had seen Derby struggle to create opportunities, but in the opening ten minutes of the second half, the Rams did test Thomas Kaminski in the Luton goal when a deflected Jackson strike was kept out by the Belgian.
Ebou Adams then crashed a strike off target, before Luton got much closer to breaking the deadlock when Elijah Adebayo met Tom Krauß’s cross but headed wide.
Just before the hour mark, Derby then broke the deadlock. A passing move down the right flank picked out Kane Wilson, who found Jackson for a header that he duly looped across the keeper and into the back of the net.
Luton were very close to a quick equaliser when Zetterstrom tipped away Morris’ header, but a game that began to open up saw Derby come close again, as Kenzo Goudmijn saw a first time strike denied by Kaminski.
With the minutes running out, Luton seemed to be running out of ideas, leading to some tension among the home ranks.
But with 89 minutes on the clock, an opportunity opened up that Luton took full advantage of. Cauley Woodrow’s free-kick was half cleared out to Mpanzu, who saw a first time drive land in the back of the net. Replays show it took a significant deflection off Mpanzu’s team-mate Holmes, giving the former Reading man the credit for the goal with some sources, but either way, Luton were level.
As the game moved into stoppage time, Luton then found the way through again. Another Luton free-kick was again not fully cleared, and this time the ball ricocheted into the path of Adebayo, who saw a strike kept out by Zetterstrom. The loose ball however fell the way of Morris, who saw a strike hit the arm of Derby defender Curtis Nelson and divert into the top corner, winning the game for the hosts.
After picking up the three points, Luton will now seek to turn attention on improving their away form, as they face a Boxing Day trip to play Bristol City before wrapping up 2024 at Swansea next weekend.
Red Bull have announced that Liam Lawson as the team’s new race driver alongside Max Verstappen in 2025.
The New Zealander, who will turn 23 in February before the season opener, has been confirmed as the replacement for Sergio Perez at the Milton Keynes-based F1 team.
Lawson has previously raced for Red Bull’s second team, making 5 starts in 2023 as a stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo and then 6 in 2024 as a replacement for Ricciardo.
The New Zealander beat Japanese team-mate Yuki Tsunoda to take the seat with Red Bull, with Lawson to partner the 4-time world champion Max Verstappen.
News of his confirmation to join the team came the day after it was confirmed that Red Bull will be releasing Perez from the team after 4 seasons with the team.
Lawson said in a statement that he was delighted to get the job and was looking forward. The driver had previously been in Red Bull’s junior program at levels up to and including Formula 2.
He said, “To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step. I also want to thank, Christian, Helmut and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!”
Christian Horner, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO, added, “I’m delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will join the Team in 2025. Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top. His arrival continues the Team’s long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and of course, Max Verstappen. There’s no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task, but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”
Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious injury collision that happened in a village on the outskirts of Milton Keynes.
The incident happened at 4.12pm on Tuesday (17/12) when there was a collision between two vehicles on Whaddon Road, Mursley.
The collision was between a a blue Mercedes A200 and a blue Mazda CX-5, with the two cars travelling in opposite directions.
The driver of the Mazda, a man in his twenties was taken to hospital with serious injuries where they remain in a stable condition.
A passenger in the Mazda, a man in his forties was also taken to hospital but has been discharged with minor injuries.
The driver of the Mercedes, a man in his twenties, was taken to hospital but has since been discharged with minor injuries.
Thames Valley Police confirmed that no arrests have been made.
Investigating officer PC Steve Leathersich of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said, “We are investigating this collision and asking for the public’s assistance.
“If anyone was driving along the road and has dash-cam footage or witness information to this incident we would ask them to please contact us.
“Anyone with information can call 101 quoting reference 43240610064 or they can add information via our online reporting form.”
Northampton are out of the EFL Trophy after they were beaten 3-0 by Nene Valley rivals Peterborough United.
Eight days from beating Peterborough in League One, the Cobblers’ hopes of a quick pair of wins were hurt when TJ Eyoma was sent off after being shown a straight red card just before half-time.
The hosts duly scored a trio of goals after the break, with Ricky Jade-Jones, Ryan De Havilland and Abaraham Odoh scoring the three strikes that won the match for Peterborough.
Defeat means an end of Northampton’s interest in the EFL Trophy for another season, with the Cobblers now on league duty only having also already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season.
Eyoma was dismissed in the 42nd minute after being deemed to have denied a goalscoring opportunity with a foul on Malik Mothersille.
Although Northampton made it to half-time on level terms, a flick home by Jade-Jones a few minutes after the restart put the hosts ahead.
Four minutes later, De Havilland breached the home side’s rear-guard to make it 2-0, before a deflected strike by Odoh sealed the deal for the hosts on a night when the Cobblers’ defence was repeatedly tested and they could’ve conceded more.
Northampton will seek a return to winning ways and points in their battle to remain in League One on Saturday, as they welcome Charlton Athletic in their final clash before Christmas.
