Scott Lindsey pleased with what he saw from MK Dons in first game in charge

Posted Sunday, September 29, 2024 by PA

Scott Lindsey was satisfied with his first look at his new MK Dons side as they collected a well-earned 1-1 draw at Bromley

An early Joe Tomlinson goal gave the Dons the lead but it was cancelled out by Michael Cheek’s strike midway through the first half.

Lindsey, who left Crawley to take over at the Dons, said: “It was a point in the right direction, but we wanted more than that.

“I felt we showed good character against a team that was very direct. Bromley are aggressive in how they play but we were resilient and showed the right character.

“People told me MK Dons have a soft underbelly, but I didn’t see any of that.

“I wanted a bit more control of the game in their half of the pitch but we created a lot and our xG differential would have been quite high compared to theirs”.

The Dons got off to a perfect start to life under Lindsey with the opening goal inside the first 10 minutes.

Callum Reynolds was muscled off the ball by Tommy Leigh and the frontman squared for Tomlinson who had the simple task of tapping the ball into an empty net.

However, that lead only lasted 15 minutes as Bromley top scorer Cheek restored parity with an excellent drilled finish past Tom McGill.

With chances at a premium the nearest either side came after that was in first half additional time when Laurence Maguire headed Tomlinson’s free-kick into the arms of Grant Smith.

The second 45 started in a similarly cagey vein but it was Bromley who fashioned the better early chances.

Danny Imray drew a smart stop from McGill when he was found on the edge of the six-yard box before Cameron Congreve saw his effort from distance drift just past McGill’s right-hand post.

At the other end Leigh forced Smith into a save at his near post.

With both defences continuing to dominate, Tomlinson missed a golden chance to net a winner for the Dons, his outstretched leg just failing to turn home Brooklyn Ilunga’s teasing cross.

Bromley manager Andy Woodman was happy with the effort shown by his side.

He said: “I thought that was a game between two sides who were trying not to lose points and therefore didn’t take too many risks, particularly in the second half.

“We were punished for a mistake in the first half but in the end I thought we weren’t bad. Obviously we want to be better but at the moment we are giving everything as we continue to get to grips with life at this level”.