Milton Keynes Dons were beaten 2-0 by Blackpool in League One on Tuesday night. Second-half goals from Karoy Anderson and Dale Taylor secured the points for the hosts at Bloomfield Road.
The defeat leaves MK Dons 18th in the table with nine points from their opening nine games, a record of just one win, six draws and two losses. They are now 11 points behind leaders Bradford City and have a goal difference of minus five after scoring 11 and conceding 16 times this season.
Blackpool controlled much of the contest, enjoying 52 per cent of possession and registering 15 shots to the visitors' nine. Anderson broke the deadlock after 69 minutes, finishing from a Josh Bowler assist. Substitute Dale Taylor then made sure of the result eight minutes later.
MK Dons goalkeeper Dennis made three saves, matching his opposite number, but his side could only muster three efforts on target. Ryan Wintle and Sam Nombe were both shown yellow cards for the Dons in a match that featured 19 fouls from the away side.
Managerial changes were made in the second half as the visitors chased the game. Ben Wiles replaced Ibrahim Fullah just after the hour mark, while Cohen Bramall, Dan Crowley and Daniel Barlaser were all introduced in a triple substitution with 11 minutes remaining.
The result halts a positive run of form that had seen MK Dons win three of their previous five matches, a sequence of three wins and two losses. This included a 2-1 victory over Luton Town last Friday where Alex Gilbey and Aaron Collins, from a penalty, found the net. Their recent fixtures show a pattern of inconsistency, with a heavy defeat to Reading preceding that win.
Attention now turns to a quick turnaround and a trip to face Stevenage this Saturday. Stevenage currently sit 12th in the standings, setting up another challenging League One encounter at the Lamex Stadium with a 3pm kick-off.
