Milton Keynes Dons progress to the next stage of the Papa John's Trophy after a 2-1 win over Buckinghamshire rivals Wycombe Wanderers at Stadium MK.
The Dons made ten changes to the side that lost to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, with Warren O'Hora, who was handed the captain's armband the only player remaining in the starting eleven.
The Dons made a bright start to the match, pushing forward along the wings until they were rewarded for their efforts less than five minutes in.
Mo Eisa collected the ball along the right flank and drove towards the penalty area before pulling a neat pass back to Tennai Watson, who overlapped and sent the ball along the ground.
No Wycombe defender could get near it and Hiram Boateng's slide at the far post connected perfectly with the ball and went beyond Adam Przybek, giving the Dons a 1-0 lead early on.
It didn't take the visitors long to fight back, however, with Brandon Hanlan tapping in at the far post in a carbon copy for the Dons' opening goal, with another pass zipping across the penalty area unchallenged.
The Dons came close to adding a second goal moments later, with Josh Martin sending in a well-placed free kick and finding Eisa among a crowd of Wycombe players, but Przybek managed to get across and palm it away from danger.
The home side were extremely lucky to avoid going a second goal down after 15 minutes of play, with David Kasumu losing possession through a heavy tackle outside the penalty area.
Goalkeeper Franco Ravizzoli chased down the Wycombe player in possession, but the ball was passed beyond him - leaving the goal mouth wide open.
Dons defenders managed to get back and Warren O'Hora put in a block as a shot from Mehmeti came in, deflecting out for a corner and avoiding disaster.
Jordan Obita came close to adding a second for Wycombe with a close range effort at the back post after Ravizzoli palmed away a corner sent in deep around the half-hour mark.
The remainder of the first half was fairly uneventful, with neither side truly threatening to take the lead, the majority of play taking place in the middle of pitch. Both sides held on until the whistle blew, sending them in to the half-time break tied at one apiece.
The second half began with the Dons firmly on the front foot, earning a free kick inside Wycombe's half less than five minutes after the restart. Josh Martin took the kick and saw his effort sail high over the crossbar.
Very quickly, the match reverted back to the settled tempo from the majority of the first half, with some neat moves attempting to pick out players such as Josh Martin through the middle, with the Dons just lacking the final touch.
The game sprung into life once again as the Dons extended their lead to 2-1 minutes after the hour mark.
With David Wheeler fouling Martin deep in Wycombe's half, Josh McEachran floated a perfectly curled ball towards the back post, with Zak Jules free to tap the ball into the net, with Przybek unable to do anything.
The visitors threatened, getting deep into the Dons' box half-way through the second half, but O'Hora threw his body in the way of a shot to force a corner and keep the Dons out in front.
Zak Jules showed some skill on the edge of Wycombe's box, avoiding defenders before sending a promising ball into the box. The ball was met by only blue shirts, however, with no Dons player threatening in the box.
With four minutes added on, Przybek went up for a late corner for the visitors, but the Dons were able to deal with the danger comfortably, with Josh Martin beginning to break away with an empty goal in sight.
Martin was pulled down by Curtis Thompson before he could create enough space, preventing the Dons from adding a third late on.
Ultimately, the Dons were too strong for the visitors to overcome and they held on for a 2-1 victory that sees them sit on six points ahead of their tie against Aston Villa Under-21s.
With the Premier League club's academy team beating Burton Albion, it means that Liam Manning's side progress to the next round of the Papa John's Trophy without any further points needed from their final group match.
MK Dons Line-Up: Ravizzoli, Watson, O'Hora, Baldwin, Jules, Ilunga (66' Kioso), Martin, Kasumu (86' Robson), McEachran, Boateng, Eisa (63' Brown)
