Milton Keynes Dons have claimed all three points against Forest Green Rovers in new head coach Mark Jackson's first game in charge.
The match, which gave the Dons back-to-back league wins, saw Mark Jackson take charge of his new side for the first time since being hired before Christmas, with just two changes made that saw Bradley Johnson and Nathan Holland brought into the side to replace Dawson Devoy and Conor Grant.
The match began with the Dons content to retain possession, passing the ball around the back five until Nathan Holland livened things up with a run through the Rovers defence, almost picking out Mo Eisa with a pass into the box.
After allowing the visitors a period of pressure in their own half, the Dons began to assert themselves in the game. They earned three consecutive corners, with Daniel Harvie having a shot from range and Will Grigg getting a header in close, but none of them bore fruit through the opening 15 minutes.
Jackson's side maintained pressure, forcing an awkward clearance from Luke McGee and later seeing Holland send a strike in low from a wide angle, with the defence holding tight and clearing the ball away. The visitors countered, with Warren O'Hora forced into giving up a free kick on the edge of the box to prevent a one-on-one with Jamie Cumming.
Cumming saved the free kick, palming the ball forcefully away, but saw it land at the feet of a Rovers player. It was struck low and the on-loan goalkeeper made yet another superb save, keeping it out and forcing a corner to give his side a breather. The visitors began to grow into their own after the free kick, forcing Cumming into making another diving save to keep the score at 0-0.
With another corner around the 23rd-minute mark, Cumming was the hero once again after making another couple of saves that kept the ball narrowly out.
After going down the other end, the Dons came agonisingly close to opening the scoring. Bradley Johnson struck an edge-of-the-box free kick with strength, forcing McGee into a save. The ball land back at his feet and he lofted the ball over the top, finding the head of Grigg at close range, but McGee once again managed to palm the ball away and keep the sides level.
Eisa came close in the 37th minute, turning and striking the ball along the ground and almost sneaking inside the post before McGee managed to swipe across and eventually scoop up the ball. The game settled into a period of even play, with the Dons holding onto the ball around the middle of the pitch as the half-time whistle ultimately blew, with both sides deadlocked at 0-0.
The Dons arguably started the second half the brighter of the two sides, sending the ball forward with plenty of purpose through the opening 10 minutes of play. Johnson showed some trickery with his feet as he glided through the defence, only to be dispossessed inside the box.
A loud call to shoot rang out at Stadium MK as Josh McEachran picked the ball up on the edge of the box, with the midfielder obliging but seeing his effort scooped by McGee.
A corner sent in low by McEachran cleared out to the edge of the box, finding Daniel Harvie wide open. As the crowd once again called for a shot, the Scottish left-back struck the ball perfectly and sent it into the bottom corner and out of reach of McGee, finally seeing the Dons take the lead.
Rejuvenated by the goal, the Dons were not content to settle for one. They pressed forward and Eisa came close to hitting the back of the net inside the box, seeing his effort narrowly deflected at the last second.
The visitors came close to pulling level halfway through the second half. After a deep free-kick into the box, there was a flurry of activity with the Dons putting bodies in the way of a number of shots before ultimately seeing the ball go out for a goal kick.
A scuffle broke out after substitute Armani Little flew into the side of Jack Tucker, who was on the ground, with the Dons player clearly unhappy with the challenge. After things settled down, the referee brandished a yellow for Little.
After two poor challenges from the visitors, the Dons were awarded a free kick with six minutes of added time. Nothing came of it, and the Dons looked to manage the remaining minutes until gifting the visitors with a free kick of their own in the dying seconds of the game. Fortunately, the ensuing kick came to nothing and the final whistle blew, confirming the Dons' first win under Jackson.
The result sees the Dons jump above Forest Green into fourth from bottom, pulling themselves within a point of safety and setting them up for the turn of the year, where survival and a strong recruitment drive in January is expected.
MK Dons Line-Up: Cumming, Watson, Tucker, O'Hora, Jules, Harvie (87' Barry), McEachran (64' Devoy), Johnson, Holland, Grigg (73' Smith), Eisa
