MK Dons picked up their first three points of the season on Saturday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Carlisle United.
An overview of the game
Mike Williamson’s side started the game the stronger of the two sides and that was a pattern that continued throughout the game. Callum Hendry opened the scoring on the 18-minute mark with a well-worked opener for the home side. Paul Simpson’s side struggled to get any real control of the game after that point and MK Dons’ dominance showed when captain Alex Gilbey doubled their lead in the 31st minute with another well-worked goal that left the Carlisle defence standing look at each other.
Carlisle United made some substitutions in the second half and tried to tighten things up defensively but offered little to nothing going forward. MK Dons were still creating chances but not taking them in the second half until Joe Tomlinson put a well-deserved third away in stoppage time to give the scoreline a reflection of how the game played out.
What did we learn from an MK Dons perspective?
After two defeats in the league and missing a lot of chances in their opening two games, this game showed that it was just a matter of time before Williamson’s side started to take their chances if they kept playing his style of football.
Captain Alex Gilbey ran the game in midfield and is going to be integral to MK Dons having a good season and pushing for promotion like many expect them to.
Winger Joe Tomlinson was a threat all game and got his deserved goal at the end to put the gloss on his man-of-the-match performance.
What did we learn from a Carlisle United perspective?
Paul Simpson’s side had a mixed start to life back in League Two after last season’s relegation winning one and losing one of their first two games. This game on Saturday was a real test for the Cumbrians as they looked to build on last week’s win over rivals Barrow. This was not the case.
Carlisle lacked any real creativity throughout the game. The strikers looked very isolated and defensively were played through with ease whenever MK Dons attacked. The five-at-the-back approach used constantly by the manager isn’t working and Carlisle looked void of ideas.
Bournemouth loanee Daniel Adu-Adjei in the first half showed little sparks of life when he got the ball but that was it for a positive first half. In the second half, fellow Bournemouth loanee Dominic Sadi picked up the ball at times and looked to run at MK Dons’ defence but again there was very little in terms of positives for the Cumbrians.
Who’s up next for both teams?
Next up for MK Dons is a visit to Salford City on Monday 2nd September at 8pm where they will want to build on Saturday’s comfortably victory. Up next for Carlisle United is a home fixture against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday 31st August at 3pm where they will be desperate to bounce back from the weekend’s defeat in Milton Keynes.