NEWS CHANNELWALSALL 1 MK DONS 2
Saturday, August 7
League One
MK Dons opened their 2010/11 League One campaign with a 2-1 win at Walsall thanks to goals from Sam Baldock and Danny Woodards.
Baldock broke the deadlock at the Banks’s Stadium in the 41st minute when the Dons made the most of some poor goalkeeping from debutant Jonny Brain.
The homeside hit back minutes in to the second half through a thumping Manny Smith header, but the points were the Dons’ in the 60th minute when Woodards cropped up with the winner.
It was the ideal start for rookie boss Karl Robinson as his men embark on, what they hope to be, a promotion pushing season.
Robinson handed Angelo Balanta and Dietmar Hamann their full Dons debuts, while David Martin started in goal for his second spell with the club.
The Dons set up in a 4-4-2 formation with Jermaine Easter and Baldock leading the attack, and the midfield, with Hamann holding in front of the defence, controlled the game in the early phases.
Walsall looked rigid as they tried to get to grips with the free-roaming Dons.
Although they had the greater share of the ball the Dons failed to call on Jonny Brain as a Dean Lewington free-kick from the edge of the ‘D’ rose over the wall but dipped over the bar, and Easter shot well over after a neat run from Chadwick on the right.
When Walsall finally had something to throw at the Dons’ goal, in the form of a free-kick, they were left to backtrack as the lively Balanta broke quickly down the left flank and beat two Walsall players.
Luckily for the home side Manny Smith made it back just in time to cut out the eventual Baldock, played through to goal by Balanta, effort.
There was a lull as the tempo dropped from the match with only odd moments of inspiration lighting up the play.
Darren Byfield, made skipper for the season by boss Chris Hutchins, dropped deep to spread the ball out to Richard Taundry whose cross with pace could have caused problems had Danny Woodards not cleared.
Dons did have the ball in the back of the net after the half-hour-mark, unfortunately for the visitors the flag went up as Baldock thought he had fired the Dons in front.
There was some controversy at the Banks’s Stadium when Balanta went down in the box, after Chadwick and Carrington had seen attempts blocked, which the home side felt was a dive.
At the other end a foul on Byfield by Carrington allowed Taundry with an attempt at goal, however, once again the Saddlers failed to test David Martin as they free-kick fell wide.
Three minutes before the break the Dons found the breakthrough, in large due to some comical defending from Walsall.
Matt Richards and ‘keeper Brain showed little communication at the back as Easter slipped a ball in to the path of Chadwick.
When Brain opted to collect he was too late, and Chadwick rounded the keeper before Baldock provided the finishing touch.
Three minutes in to the second half Walsall found a reply when Manny Smith leapt higher than anyone else in the Dons’ box to send a thumping header on to Julian Gray’s corner which found the bottom of Martin’s net.
Dons boss Robinson was seething in the 51st minute when Chadwick, through on goal thanks to a pass timed to perfection from Easter, was brought down under the challenge of Ryan McGovern yet the referee waved play on.
The opportunity to regain the lead flashed by for the Dons when Balanta was released by a quickly taken free-kick, but the on loan QPR failed to keep his shot down.
However, a second came for the Dons on the hour mark when Balanta whipped in a corner, following Hamann’s deflected effort, and an onrushing Woodards provided a vital touch to fire the Dons back in front.
The Saddlers had their own spell of dominance in the game, and the Dons, at times, looked a little flustered. There was some questionable kicking from goalie Martin but in the main Walsall failed to create clear cut chances.
The set-pieces of Gray continued to look dangerous as his short corner was kept alive in the Dons’ box until Steve Jones drove wide of the far post.
Two of the Dons’ more experienced players in Chadwick and Hamann ran out of steam late on just when Walsall began to find some renewed energy, so both made way for Lewis Guy and Luke Howell respectively.
Former Saddler Jabo Ibehre made a late substitute appearance for the Dons yet he had little chance to add to the score line.
So the Dons reversed last season’s final day defeat at Walsall to start a new regime in winning style.
WALSALL: Brain, Lescott, Lancashire (McDonald 90), Smith, Jones, Richards, Byfield (c), Nicholls, Taundry, Gray, McGivern
Booked: Lancashire
Goal: Smith 48
MK DONS: Martin, Gleeson, O’Hanlon, Woodards, Lewington (c), Balanta, Hamann (Howell 83), Carrington, Chadwick (Guy 83), Easter (Ibehre 88), Baldock.
Goals: Baldock 42, Woodards 60
Referee: Scott Mathieson (Cheshire)
Attendance: 4,034 (698 away)
