Complete shambles!

Photo: Max Flego

BLACK DAY: Athletic full-back Paul Black collapses under a challenge from Daniel Powell. He suffered a serious hamstring injury.

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MK Dons 5, Athetic 0
Listless Latics torn apart by five-star Dons

THERE were few excuses Athletic’s players could point to following this hideous performance.

After a five-goal stuffing that should have been even more emphatic, the argument that injured duo captain Dean Furman and partner-in-hustle James Wesolowski are the true heartbeat of this side was enhanced.

There was certainly very little heart on show in the visitors’ ranks at stadium:mk. And the main percussive beat was the regular sound of the ball hitting the back of Athletic’s net.

Manager Paul Dickov was more upset than anyone by his team’s capitulation, with particular reference to his side ignoring the instructions they were given.

Trust is so vital between a manager and his players – especially when, as in Dickov’s case, a slim budget necessitates bringing in talented strays who have lost their way at other clubs, such as one of the primary heroes of the Walsall win last midweek, Keanu Marsh-Brown.

Such off-the-cuff skills as Marsh-Brown’s can provide unorthodox and effective treats on the pitch.

As shown at stadium:mk, when not allied to a team ethic, such a player's proclivities can also quickly lead to a wholesale collapse of cohesion.

Dickov pointed to the teenage winger’s loss of possession early on as being pivotal in the build-up to the eighth-minute penalty award, the spot-kick stroked home by the lively Dean Bowditch for his 11th goal of the season.

When one player fails to follow defensive instructions against a side as skilled as the slick, promotion-hunting Dons are, another has to step in to occupy the gap created – in turn creating a further hole and with it, the necessity for more reshuffling.

And by the time Matthias Doumbe netted his third goal of the season, a left-footed effort which was the Dons’ fourth after 69 minutes, it was abundantly clear that Athletic’s players were no longer taking responsibility for the gaps which appeared with distressing regularity.

The space the centre-back was afforded on the left-hand edge of Athletic’s penalty area, before composing himself and stroking home accurately with his left foot, was borderline offensive.

By this stage, Dickov’s men were ragged around the edges and soft down the middle.

Heads had dropped so low they were scraping the turf. It was a shambolic display.

To top off an afternoon when little went right – even the team coach had its difficulties, with a large scrape down one flank the scar of a pre-match disagreement with an immovable obstacle – left-back Paul Black was taken off the field on a stretcher with a torn hamstring late in the first half.

It meant a return from the bench for Zander Diamond, who operated at right-back with Kieran Lee switching to the left.

Athletic started the game brightly, before conceding a penalty after only eight minutes.

Marsh-Brown was caught in possession and after Luke Chadwick had headed infield to two-goal Daniel Powell, the winger eased past a wrong-footed Jean-Yves Mvoto to slide the ball home.

Referee Brendan Malone had already blown for a foul against Mvoto, though, for an arm being thrust across the outstanding Powell’s chest, allowing Bowditch to send Alex Cisak the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The visitors battled back and despite being up against comfortably the best passing outfit they have faced all season, created one or two half-chances with attacks mainly directed down the right flank of Filipe Morais.

Most raids of promise broke down, though, and Kieran Lee’s 38th-minute strike, saved by Dons ’keeper David Martin, was the one true goalbound attempt mustered by Athletic.

Powell showed himself to be a good guy by playing the ball out when presented with a run on goal after Black had collapsed in pain.

And despite being forced to re-jig his line-up, Dickov was at least able to reorganise his team at half-time.

It took less than a minute-and-a-half for the team talk to be rendered an irrelevance.

Mvoto was drawn to a ball that was flicked into the path of Powell and, running free towards goal, the Dons player lifted the ball over Cisak and rolled home the second goal.

Cisak had to get down sharply to turn away a Shaun Williams attempt, and Athletic’s ’keeper was again worked by a fierce Bowditch strike which he tipped over the bar.

After Marsh-Brown was replaced on the left wing by Josh Parker, Lee miscued a clearance which fell to Powell to turn and rifle home his second goal after 66 minutes.

Doumbe netted the fourth after being allowed the freedom of the left side of Athletic’s defence, the visitors having gone to 4-3-3 withsubstitute duo Parker and Matt Smith accompanying Shefki Kuqi in the forward line.

Cisak then completely fluffed a clearance as Tarkowski shepherded a ball back to him and was picking the ball out of his net seconds later after Stephen Gleeson shot home low with his left foot.

Karl Robinson’s men had two further chances to enhance their victory. First, Cisak got in a flap with Tarkowski in his own six-yard box, the ball bobbling to safety, before substitute Jay O’Shea hit a deflected shot which came off the top of the crossbar.