Milton Keynes Dons earned a point as they drew 1-1 with Accrington Stanley at Stadium MK, with the visitors pulling back from a goal down with a late penalty.
The Dons made two changes from the side that beat Port Vale mid-week, seeing Daniel Oyegoke and Conor Grant come in to replace Matt Smith and Louie Barry - reverting to the familiar three-at-the-back system that gave them plenty of success last season.
The visitors almost struck within the first two minutes of the game as Korede Adedoyin found himself unmarked in the centre of the penalty area, picking up the loose ball and taking a shot from close range.
Jamie Cumming, however, reacted quickly and was able to get two strong palms to it and tipped it over the bar - saving the Dons' blushes early on.
The Dons recovered and began to control most of the possession in the early stages of the game. Grant lofted a neat pass out to Daniel Oyegoke on the right wing, with the young wing-back able to put the ball deep into the box - only to find no teammates able to get on the end of it.
Moments later and Liam Manning's side had another threatening passage of play, moving the ball around the box confidently until Oyegoke had an effort on goal - seeing it loft over the bar and out for a goal kick.
Accrington countered well and forced Cumming into making a crucial save down low, seeing the ball tipped wide of the post and out for a corner.
The Dons were forced into a period hemmed in their own half, with Accrington sending high balls into the box - with scrambles to clear and Cumming needing to claim out of the air on a few occasions.
Matt Dennis looked to have been fouled inside the penalty area, with shouts for a penalty waved away. But it didn't matter as a minute later, Ethan Robson gave the Dons the lead.
Robson took the ball forward after collecting a through pass inside Accrington's half, shaking off a tackle he then roamed unchallenged before launching a well-placed shot from the edge of the area. Goalkeeper Lukas Jensen was unable to do anything with it and it hit the back of the net to rapturous applause from the home crowd.
Dan Kemp was unlucky not to extend the Dons' lead just before half time, seeing his effort stopped just on the goal line. Kemp collected Grant's free-kick and sent the shot in from a tight angle, seeing an Accrington defender block the shot with their body.
Matt Dennis tried to tap in but it's cleared away from danger. The whistle for the break came just moments later, with the Dons holding onto their slim lead despite concerted efforts to find a second.
The Dons began the second half the brighter of the two sides, pushing forward with purpose and sending the ball towards the Accrington box - forcing them to make last-ditch clearances.
Dennis caused plenty of problems in the early stages on the second half, with plenty of long balls intended to reach him as he continually pressured the opposition defence - even forcing Jensen to come out of his area to header a clearance away.
There were a few intense moments as the Dons clashed with Jensen. Johnson left a foot in as he raced to beat the keeper to a loose ball, and later the Dane rushed out of his area and was knocked down by Dennis as he stopped the young Dons striker from reaching a long ball down the right flank.
After a spell of pressure from the visitors, the Dons gave away a penalty with less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation. McConville stepped up and sent Cumming the wrong way, pulling Accrington level.
The Dons came so close to extending their lead in the 80th minute when Warren O'Hora pulled a neat pass into the path of the unmarked Dennis, whose effort was saved by the rushing Jensen.
The visitors came close themselves as added time dwindled down, with Ethan Hamilton letting fly a strong effort from the edge of the box - sailing narrowly wide of the post.
The referee blew the final whistle, bringing to a close a match in which the Dons will rue having missed some clear-cut chances to extend the lead and claim all three points - Dennis' miss in particular a golden opportunity.
MKFM were today's match sponsors and selected Ethan Robson as Man of the Match, due in part to his spectacular goal as well as his solid performance in the heart of midfield.
Now, the Dons have a break in league action with an away trip to Watford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday - a chance to take a breather and regroup next Saturday when they take on Morecambe in League One.
MK Dons Line-Up: Cumming, Oyegoke, O'Hora, Tucker, Lewington, Lawrence (79' Harvie), Johnson, Robson, Grant (67' Barry), Dennis (86' Grigg), Kemp (67' Smith)
