Wasted first-half chances sees Burton only claim a point against MK Dons

MK Dons and Burton Albion were left to share the spoils after a closely fought contest at Stadium MK, ending 1-1, sending Burton to the foot of the table. 

The game was the epitome of the cliché “a game of two halves”. The first 45 minutes was a complete domination by Burton, whilst the second 45 saw the hosts control proceedings.

A woeful first-half defensive display that contained a catalogue of errors from the home team saw Burton lead at the break, a performance which would please the Albion manager Jake Buxton immensely.

After only eight minutes the deadlock was broken from a smartly worked set-piece corner that saw Colin Daniel slot home after Stephen Quinn was given acres of space, lurking on the edge of the box from a corner.

Carlton Morris initially blocked by Quinn’s low effort, but it was never cleared and despite calls for offside, the ball dropped at the feet of Daniel amongst statuesque home defending, whose right-footed finish gave the visitors the lead.

The goal was another conceded within the first fifteen minutes of a game by MK, taking the season tally to ten matches out of seventeen, a statistic which does not make pretty reading at all and one that manager Russell Martin will be desperate to change.

Burton were by far the better side in the opening half, aided largely by the home side’s inept defensive performance, which resulted in chance after chance.

If the score had read 0-6 after 30 minutes of play, there could be no complaints. Lucas Akins should have slotted home on three separate occasions, Ryan Edwards inexcusably put a free header from eight yards wide and Joe Powell could easily have added his name onto the scoresheet.

Amongst all the chaos happening in their own half, the Dons did manage to fashion one respectable chance of their own. Following a speculative long-range attempt by centre-back Warren O’Hora, the ball fell to Cameron Jerome whose stabbed effort from inside the penalty area went straight into Kieran O’Hara’s grasp.

As the players emerged after half time the Dons did brighten up their performance, almost as though Martin had given his team the proverbial “hairdryer treatment”.

Daniel Harvie, who was introduced at the resumption in place of Ben Gladwin, hit an early cross which just evaded Jerome, and a minute later showed good skill down the left flank to create an opening which, unfortunately for the Scotsman, unravelled.

With a strange air of synchronicity, at the same time as the floodlights took full control, so did the hosts. Given how poor the opening-half display was, the football was a stark contrast which saw intricate moves and build-up play.

On the hour mark, a lovely solo-chance opened for Scott Fraser as he rifled a shot just over the bar from inside the area following a breakdown at a corner.

It was then Fraser who levelled the scoring from the penalty spot, firing his effort straight down the middle of the goal. The penalty was awarded after Carlton Morris was fouled through a lazy dangled Burton leg in the area, following a succession of sustained home pressure which included four corners and numerous crosses.

Burton were left to resort to counter attacks due to the dominance of the home side, and even though the chances were limited it was Edwards again left to wonder how he had not converted.

In the space of two minutes, he squandered two magnificent opportunities, firstly over the bar from close range and secondly after another defensive mix up. It was something we had not seen since the first half from the hosts.

Edwards will not be keen to watch the highlights of the game back and will be having nightmares over his first-half golden chance, and these may well be appearing too!

In the dying embers of the game, it was all MK Dons and if any team were going to find a winner it would have been them. Lasse Sørensen had two chances, Richard Keogh had an opportunity and numerous corners were created but all failed to be converted.

Seeing as the game should have been out of sight at the interval, Buxton will be incredibly frustrated to only leaving Buckinghamshire with one point, but, given the volume of pressure his side was under at the end, it is a point he will reluctantly take.

Russell Martin, on the other hand, would have hoped to have left with all three points yet given the atrocious beginning to the game, a draw will have to be taken as one gained over two dropped.

This result means MK Dons remain 17^th in the Sky Bet League One table with 18 points after 17 games, whilst Burton fall two places and now sit rock bottom with 13 points to their name, having also played 17 matches this season.

MK Dons: Andrew Fisher (GK), George Williams, Dean Lewington (C), Richard Keogh, Ben Gladwin (Daniel Harvie 46’), David Kasumu, Carlton Morris, Scott Fraser, Warren O’Hora, Andrew Surman (Lasse Sørensen 62’), Cameron Jerome (Stephen Walker 85’).

Goals: Fraser (73’ pen).

No bookings.

Unused Subs: Lee Nicholls, Regan Poole, Baily Cargill, Kieran Agard.

Burton Albion: Kieran O’Hara (GK), John Brayford (C), Colin Daniel, Ryan Edwards, Michael Bostwick, Stephen Quinn (Ben Fox 68’), Joe Powell (Kieran Wallace 68’), Lucas Akins, Charles Vernam, Ciarnan Gilligan, Sam Hughes.

Goals: Daniel (8’).

Bookings: Quinn, Wallace.

Unused Subs: Ben Garratt, Steven Lawless, John-Joe O’Toole, Owen Gallacher, Niall Ennis.

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