Crawley Town 0 MK Dons 4 Reds suffer first home defeat since August

Crawley Town's unbeaten home run under Gabriele Cioffi ended with a 4-0 defeat by MK Dons.
Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. A minute silence before the game. Pic Steve Robards SR1829136 SUS-180311-155328001Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. A minute silence before the game. Pic Steve Robards SR1829136 SUS-180311-155328001
Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. A minute silence before the game. Pic Steve Robards SR1829136 SUS-180311-155328001

Reds made a terrible start by conceding two goals in the first 18 minutes through Rhys Healey and Kieran Agard.

MK then made it 3-0 just before half-time when Healey scored his second goal of the game to net from a cross by Agard.

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Chucks Aneke made it 4-0 midway through the second half as MK forged a massive lead.

Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. Pic Steve Robards SR1829168 SUS-180311-155401001Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. Pic Steve Robards SR1829168 SUS-180311-155401001
Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. Pic Steve Robards SR1829168 SUS-180311-155401001

A minute’s silence was held and players wore black armbands in tribute to those who died in the helicopter crash last Saturday at the Kingpower Stadium, which included Leicester City’s owner.

The silence was also held as part of the remembrance celebrations for those who died in the two world wars.

Reds made two changes to their side which disastrously lost 5-1 at Tranmere Rovers with Ashley Nathaniel-George and Josh Payne, who was back from suspension, replacing Dannie Bulman and Panutche Camara who were on the bench.

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Bondz N’Gala was not named in the squad as although he had completed his three-match ban, he was suffering from a hamstring injury.

Crawley Town FC v MK Dons 0-2 Pic Steve Robards SR1829196 SUS-180311-155412001Crawley Town FC v MK Dons 0-2 Pic Steve Robards SR1829196 SUS-180311-155412001
Crawley Town FC v MK Dons 0-2 Pic Steve Robards SR1829196 SUS-180311-155412001

MK Dons made one change with Callum Brittain coming in for Jordan Moore-Taylor.

Former Crawley player Joe Walsh made his first return to Broadfield Stadium since being sold to MK Dons in 2015.

The visitors took the lead in the seventh minute when Healey scored from close-range, the chance was set-up for him by Lewington who seized upon a mistake by Lewis Young.

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Luke Gambin went close from the restart but his effort from long-range was saved by ‘keeper Lee Nicholls.

Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. A minute silence before the game. Pic Steve Robards SR1829141 SUS-180311-155339001Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. A minute silence before the game. Pic Steve Robards SR1829141 SUS-180311-155339001
Crawley Town FC v MK Dons. A minute silence before the game. Pic Steve Robards SR1829141 SUS-180311-155339001

Ashley Nathaniel-George fired narrowly over the bar in another promising attack.

MK added to their lead in just the 18th minute when Healey’s toe poke paced the way for Agard to score.

Agard kept the pressure on with a run and shot from the right wich forced a good save by Morris from a tight angle.

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But the game finished as a competition when MK Dons made it 3-0 moments before half-time with a tap-in by Healey from an Agard cross into the bottom corner.

Gabriele Cioffi made his first substitution at the start of the second half with Panutche Camara replacing Young.

Dominic Poleon replaced Gambin with 21 minutes to go as Reds looked to get a foothold back in the game.

Reds went close to pulling a goal back through Ollie Palmer and twice through Filipe Morais, but there was no way past Nicholls as they sent to their heaviest home defeat of the season.

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Crawley Town: Morris, Young (Camara 46), Payne, Connolly, Palmer, Gambin (Poleon 69), Francomb, Nathaniel-George, Maguire, Vincelot, Morais (capt)

Subs: Merson, Doherty McNerney, Bulman

MK Dons: Nicholls, Williams, Lewington (capt), Walsh, Gilbey, Aneke (Simpson 80), Agard, Houghton, Brittain, Cargill, Healey (Pawlett 80)

Subs: Moore, Watson, Hancox, D’Ath, Jackson

Referee: Anthony Coggins

Attendance: 2,667 (454 away)

Man of the Match: Luke Gambin