MK Dons 4 FC Halifax Town 1: Battling Shaymen bow to Dons finishing power

The Shaymen put up a brave fight against their League One hosts, and were within five minutes of going in level at half-time but for Izale McLeod’s opener.

Halifax missed some clear chances after the restart and MK Dons’ greater finishing quality put an unfair gloss on the result.

Aspin said: “I don’t think on the evidence of the game that it was a 4-1 scoreline. But goals change games and I was very disappointed with the first goal we conceded, I felt it could have been avoided.

“But we didn’t drop our heads, we kept going and put up a good show in the second-half.

“I’ve no complaints with the team, everybody worked hard.”

It took a super strike to give the Dons the lead, McLeod curling a delightful shot past Matt Glennon from 25 yards.

A rash tackle by Marc Roberts handed Shaun Williams the chance to double the hosts’ lead from the penalty spot before Halifax produced their best spell of the game.

Dan Gardner had wasted a glorious chance just before the interval when he was denied by Ian McLoughlin when clean through, and he spurned another opportunity when he prodded Matt Pearson’s cross wide when unmarked.

Scott McManus and Lee Gregory also went close but the Dons landed the killer blow when McLeod added his second with a tap-in from close range.

Gregory briefly revived hopes of an unlikely comeback with a clever finish across McLoughlin from a tight angle but Brendan Galloway wrapped up the win with a breakaway goal in stoppage time.

MK Dons: McLoughlin, Lewington, Hodson, Williams, Gleeson (Galloway 71), Potter, McLeod (Rasulo 71), Bamford, Powell, Banton (Baldock 46), Spence. Unused substitutes: Burns, Otsemobor, Flanagan, Smith.

FC Halifax Town: Glennon, Toulson (Worthington 26), Ainge, Roberts, Lowe, Marshall, Pearson, Maynard (Wilson 68), Gardner (Love 74), McManus, Gregory. Unused substitutes: Senior, McReady, Holsgrove, Johnson.

Referee: D Bond.

Man of the match: Matt Pearson.