Ace Amos

Photo: Max Flego

SHOOTING STAR . . . Athletic midfielder Dean Furman unleashes a long-range effort at the MK Dons goal.

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MK Dons 0, Athletic 0
Latics claim vital point thanks to ’keeper heroics
AFTER being pummelled in the first half, Athletic were happy to escape Stadium:mk with a useful point in the clash between the would-be npower League One play-off contenders.

It is little exaggeration to suggest that the home team could easily have been four goals to the good as Paul Dickov’s side exposed themselves to wave after wave of attacks in the opening 45 minutes.

Goalkeeper Ben Amos was again the star of the show from an Athletic point of view, pulling off one save in particular – in which he rushed out to block a Rowan Vine shot when the striker was through on goal and in acres of space – that effectively secured the draw.

Starved of possession and exposed badly to two rapid and tricky touchline-hugging wide players in Keanu Marsh-Brown and Daniel Powell, the visitors’ midfield was outnumbered and simply couldn’t get a handle on proceedings.

A reshuffle at half-time, plus no doubt left with some stinging words in their ears from manager Dickov, Athletic emerged a far more compact unit after the break.

Arguably, they had the better of things in the second half and could have sneaked all three points through both Filipe Morais’ raking 20-yard shot which was acrobatically tipped over by Dons goalkeeper Daniel Martin and a sizzling drive narrowly wide from Sam Mantom.

In addition, Reuben Reid, who again had a tough time of things, should have rectified Athletic’s barren run in front of goal by attaching something – anything – on a Kieran Lee cross in the first half.

But it would perhaps have been stretching credulity had the visitors held a lead as the sides changed ends.

And in the grand scheme, a draw at a side as tough to compete with on their own soil as MK Dons are represents a decent achievement for Athletic.

His patently obvious skill with the gloves aside, Amos must have packed a few rabbits’ feet and sprigs of lucky heather in his kit bag for the journey south as the Athletic goal led a charmed life in the opening half of this clash.

With Oumare Tounkara dropped from the starting line-up for the first time in a league game, Reid was promoted to a starting spot alongside Warren Feeney in attack in the only change from the team which lost 1-0 at Bristol Rovers three days earlier.

Athletic started in sprightly fashion and Morais found a pocket of space before advancing and firing an early left-footed shot low and five yards wide.

Lovely skill on the right touchline from the Portuguese bamboozled Powell and the cut-back eventually fell to Cedric Evina, who shot high over the bar from 20 yards.

But from that moment right up until added time in the opening period, the home side were almost completely dominant in every area of the pitch with full-backs Cedric Evina and Lee in particular given a torrid time.

Tall striker Vine, on loan from Queen’s Park Rangers, warmed the palms of a diving Amos after six minutes and Luke Chadwick should have done more with the rebound that fell into his path than simply blaze over the crossbar.

Soon after that, home midfielder Peter Leven smacked a terrific 25-yard free-kick against Amos’s right post with the custodian well beaten.

Athletic were thankful for hacked clearances off the line from Evina and Morais, after a neat run and pull-back from Marsh-Brown and a far-post Sean O’Hanlon header respectively.

Reid then contrived to completely miss Lee’s terrific cross when only six yards out and right in front of goal.

Andy Todd had to be alert to halt Powell in his tracks as the fluent Dons attacked with purpose again, before Vine was sent in with a front-to-back ball from Dean Lewington. Amos rushed off his line and did superbly to block the striker’s goalbound effort.

The busy Athletic ’keeper was called into action again when Mathias Kouo-Doumbe was sent in by a raking Leven pass.

Dean Furman had Athletic’s only shot at goal of the opening period, forcing Martin down low to his left to palm the snap-shot from the edge of the area behind.

Athletic committed more numbers to the midfield in the second half, as Warren Feeney played a more withdrawn role.

The move certainly helped stifle the home team’s rhythm and Morais’ stinging effort which produced Martin’s flying stop was the first action of the half, arriving after an hour.

Chris Taylor almost scored with a stooping header which was blocked in front of Martin off Mantom’s resulting right-wing corner.

Tounkara and Aidan White were introduced to the action late on and after the best concerted attacking play of the game by Athletic, Mantom struck his angled drive narrowly wide of the far post.

White and Furman were both shown yellow for fouls, but there was little further action to get the heart racing as the game fizzled out into a stalemate.


Latics’ next game— Saturday (v Peterborough, home, npower League One)