Wimbledon were made to pay for a disappointing first-half as Milton Keynes Dons came away as 3-1 winners.
The Dons came into tonight’s game with an eagerness to get back to winning ways in Sky Bet League Two, however it was a poor start that ultimately decided the contest as the hosts hit three goals inside 22 minutes.
An Armani Little strike early in the second 45 minutes offered a slight glimmer of hope, but it would prove to not be enough as a night to forget was compounded by two straight red cards for Huseyin Biler and Paul Kalambayi.
This defeat will undoubtedly hurt, but we must regroup and look to bounce back quickly as we prepare to host Mansfield Town at home on Saturday.
Johnnie Jackson named an unchanged starting eleven from our last Sky Bet League Two outing against Wrexham, meaning that new signings Ronan Curtis and John-Kymani Gordon featured amongst the substitutes.
The hosts took the lead in an otherwise eventless opening quarter when Dan Kemp fired home from inside the penalty area. The Dons looked to respond quickly, with Jake Reeves taking aim from distance with an effort that skidded wide.
Despite looking to rally it was the home side that doubled their advantage as Ryan Johnson found himself unfortunate to score an own goal, picking up an injury in the process that saw him replaced by Kalambayi.
Things went from bad to worse for Wimbledon not long after as Warren O’Hora headed home from a free-kick. Josh Davison had a chance to reduce the deficit but his low shot was saved by Filip Marschall, before James Tilley could only direct a low cross from Aron Sasu over the crossbar.
Johnnie rang the changes at the break with Gordon coming on for his debut in place of Davison, whilst Harry Pell replaced James Ball.
The changes appeared to be making a difference early in the second-half as Armani Little pulled a goal back to give the Dons a glimmer of hope.
However we were to be dealt another blow just after the hour mark as Biler was shown a straight red card. There was then another dismissal as the game approached the final quarter, with Kalambayi also seeing a straight red.
This changed the complexion of the game once more as we ended up seeing out the closing stages with a two-man disadvantage – although in truth it was the first 45 minutes of the contest where the real damage was done.
AFC Wimbledon: Alex Bass, Huseyin Biler, Jake Reeves, Ryan Johnson (Paul Kalambayi), James Tilley (Lee Brown), Josh Davison (John-Kymani Gordon), Armani Little, James Ball (Harry Pell), Jack Currie, Aron Sasu (Isaac Ogundere), Joe Lewis
Attendance: 6,278 (651 away)
PICS: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images)