By Martin Atherton
MK Dons saw off Hull City somewhat comfortably and the KCOM Stadium, a Scott Fraser penalty being the difference between the two sides.
Fears had arisen pre-match after it was announced that star man Jerome was missing through to a non-Covid related illness – Mason, however, stepped up as an amicable replacement on the afternoon.
And whilst the score line might suggest a ‘smash and grab’ performance, it was far from that. The Dons dominated large periods of the game, kept their opponents at bay when they couldn’t, and took their ultimate chance from the spot through Fraser.
Kane Lewis-Potter should have opened the scoring with the first real chance of the game, beating the offside trap to find himself one-on-one – Fisher, however, stepped up to make an excellent stop.
Malik Wilks then could also have scored – an ambitious effort from 40 yards after Fisher had been caught off of his line – but his shot flew into the side-netting.
The Dons’ best chance of the first half came shortly after as Fraser’s superb ball into the box was met by a lurking Grigg – Matt Ingram, however, was on hand to produce an outstanding save.
As the first half went on, the quality in the MK midfield was clear to see – their crisp, quick passing proving a constant nuisance for the home side.
Darling – yet again showing his quality this afternoon – was forced into one late block to deny Magennis, the former Charlton man having a quiet first half thanks to the Dons #6. HT 0-0.
The second half certainly wasn’t too much to write home about, but Martin’s side would go on to get the job done.
Fisher once again was forced into an excellent save – Honeyman allowing the ball to be cut back, before Docherty fired his effort directly at the Dons man between the sticks.
But the crucial moment came as Matt Riley’s optimistic shot was deemed to have been handled by a Hull player. Penalty MK Dons, and a chance to put themselves into a somewhat shock lead.
Step up Scott Fraser – as reliable as ever – to smash the penalty to Ingram’s left, and give his side the lead. 0-1!
In the dying moments of the game, Magennis should have equalised for the hosts – his header, however, flying comfortably wide of Fisher’s pots. FT 0-1! GET IN!
Yet another superb performance for Martin’s side – something that is almost becoming routine at this point.
As I said, this was far from ‘smash and grab’ – it was a well-executed away performance that saw us create a handful of chances and profit from the best of them. On another day, we could have had two or three up there.
Yes, we were certainly a bit fortunate with the penalty call – but, with VAR, I’m pretty sure that would have been given. Sometimes good teams just get that sort of luck.
Now up to 13th in the league and just six points off of the Play-Offs – wow. I’m still keeping my ‘mid-table development’ season hat on, and I’m not getting overly excited for this campaign – but I certainly am for next. But a top six finish is still perfectly possible, don’t get me wrong.
Onto next Saturday when we take on a struggling Wobblers side at home!
