Harrogate Town 0 MK Dons 4: Aaron Collins and Alex Gilbey bag braces in rout of Yorkshire strugglers
Aaron Collins’ first league goals for MK Dons inspired a 4-0 rout of troubled Harrogate Town.
The 28-year-old attacker, who has seen the start of his Dons career plagued by injuries following a summer move from Bolton, struck twice before the first half’s midway point, with Alex Gilbey also bagging a brace.
After Will Collar had smacked an upright from 20 yards, the visitors went ahead on the quarter-hour mark when Anthony O’Connor’s poor back pass was intercepted by Callum Patterson who laid the ball off to Collins to fire home.
That advantage was doubled in the 23rd minute when Paterson headed down from a corner at the far post and Collins, making his first league start since the opening day of the season, stabbed in from close range.
A third was added six minutes later when Belshaw parried out Paterson’s header, only for Gilbey to drill in from 10 yards.
Shawn McCoulsky thumped a shot against the crossbar for the hosts, but Gilbey made it 4-0 in the 75th minute when side-footed inside the far post from 12 yards.
It represented Harrogate’s sixth straight home loss in Sky Bet League Two – the last five without scoring – and Simon Weaver’s strugglers have now taken just three points from a possible 33.