Sutton go down fighting as Dons draw on final day of the season

MK Dons ended their regular season in bizarre circumstances after three times squandering a two goal lead to draw 4-4 with Sutton United.

Comfortably cruising through the first-half, with goals from Jack Payne and Alex Gilbey, Dons conspired against themselves with a poor second-half showing to allow the U's back into it.

Stephen Duke-McKenna scored five minutes after the restart before substitute Emre Tezgel restored the two goal lead at 3-1. Chris Lakin quickly pulled one back before Ellis Harrison rounded keeper Steve Arnold to make it 4-2.

The excellent Duke-McKenna would get his second and Sutton's third with 15 minutes to go before Harry Smith flicked in his cross in stoppage time to come away with a point, but it was not enough to keep them in the Football League.

Late goals elsewhere also meant Crawley Town would snatch seventh place, and will be Dons opponents in the play-offs.

Rather than making changes to his side for the final game of the season, Mike Williamson went strong to face Sutton United. Joe Tomlinson made his first appearance for a month after picking up injury, coming in as one of five changes to the side which started at Harrogate a week earlier. Daniel Harvie, Lewis Bate, Jack Payne and Stephen Wearne also came back into team.

Knowing Sutton would need something dramatic to happen to avoid relegation, and with Dons still keeping an eye on who their play-off opponents could be, the game unfolding on the pitch almost took a backseat.

Williamson's decision to field a strong side paid off too as they relatively cruised through the opening 45 minutes. Jack Payne bobbled in the opener on 14 minutes when Tomlinson's cross was held up and rolled on by Max Dean, a goal not glistening in quality but it summed up the game until that point.

Eyes were on results elsewhere, with both Crawley and Crewe Dons' potential opponents during the course of the first-half, while Colchester's lead at home effectively killed off Sutton's hopes of survival.

Alex Gilbey's goal five minutes before the break killed off those chances even further, firing home off the far post after a neat one-two with Dean to double Dons' advantage.

But as comfortable as Dons were in the first-half, they were equally as frantic and lapse in the second. Not willing to go down without a fight, Steve Morison's side forced Michael Kelly into three big saves before Stephen Duke-McKenna lashed in to pull one back five minutes afrer the restart.

And that goal started a wild wave of goalswhich saw the game flow from end-to-end. Dons were somewhat fortunate to get their two-goal advantage back when Tomlinson's last involvement saw him blast a ball into the gut of Omar Showunmi, allowing substitute Emre Tezgel to roll under Arnold to make it 3-1 on the hour-mark.

That lead though was cut again two minutes later when Chris Lakin fired in from 20 yards as Dons again failed to clear their lines properly.

Tezgel thought he had got his second when he flicked one past Arnold only to see it chalked off, but ten minutes later, the Stoke loanee unleashed Ellis Harrison to round the Sutton and roll in the fourth.

Again though, Dons would be pegged back, with Duke-McKenna again finding the net to ensure the final stages of the game would not be a comfortable one for the hosts.

Both teams would hit the crossbar in the remainder of the game, before Harry Smith would get a flick on the excellent Duke-McKenna's cross in stoppage time to seal the draw.

Referee: Thomas Parsons

Attendance: 8,685 (865)

MK Dons: Kelly, O’Hora, Tucker, Harvie, Lofthouse (Kemp 74), Tomlinson (Norman 61), Payne, Bate, Gilbey (Robson 61), Wearne (Tezgel 56), Dean (Harrison 56)

Subs not used: Marschall, Lewington

Sutton United: Arnold, Adom-Malaki, Sowumni, Hart, Kizzi, Jackson (Moore 74), Lakin, Beautyman (Fadaunsi 74), Sanderson (Eastmond 46), Coley (Duke-McKenna 30), Smith

Subs not used: Kerbey, John, Clay

Booked: Eastmond, O'Hora