MK DONS 1 CITY 4

THE taxi was waiting outside reception before the last of the stragglers had vacated the away dressing room.

Colin Doyle’s whistle-stop tour from Milton Keynes was done. Six hours after hooking up with the City squad at the team hotel he was bound for Luton airport and an imminent reunion with Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland men.

From Dublin to Gatwick to Milton Keynes to Luton back to Dublin … not to mention a flight to Cardiff the following morning. Who says football life is all champagne glamour!

But it had been worth all the hassle from Stuart McCall’s point of view. It was another element in an afternoon when everything went like clock-work.

The City boss must have sensed it would fall into place during the team’s morning walk when he asked goalkeeping coach Steve Banks when Doyle would be there – to be told he was already up in his room having a shower.

No panic, no stress, everything in place – that pretty much set the tone for what would follow.

Stadium MK remains one of City’s happiest haunts; this was their fourth league win in a row in the Land of the Concrete Cows and a third in McCall’s two managerial stints.

It is ten years since the Dons last claimed the upper hand in their own backyard on City’s first visit.

That day saw a curly-haired teenager make his first appearance on loan from Sheffield United.

A decade on, Nicky Law was back and strolling around like he owned the place in a midfield triumvirate with Jake Reeves and Romain Vincelot that McCall claims is the best in the division.

You would get no arguments on this evidence. They passed and attacked, harried and pressed and basically made MK’s life a misery from first minute to last.

Law relished an advanced role with shades of Billy Clarke, who always served up something special on this particular away stage.

Vincelot capped a typically bustling afternoon with his fourth goal in seven games – those spring heels once again in full working order with a trademark leaping header.

But Reeves was undoubtedly the pick of the bunch; a bundle of boundless energy who popped up here, there and everywhere.

He’d been geed up by a few former Wimbledon team-mates in the build-up. Any fixture with MK has that extra edge for anyone with connections to the original Dons.

Reeves had written his name in Wimbledon folklore by scoring against their bitter rivals last season – his only goal.

And he seemed hell-bent on doing the same in City colours with several cracks from distance. A goal was the only element missing from his all-round game, although there was a well-earned late assist courtesy of Paul Taylor’s emphatic late finish.

McCall’s plan to close down at every opportunity to force errors and then pass the ball with purpose to exploit a large pitch were followed by the letter.

It obviously helped when midfielder Aaron Tshibola self-destructed in the fifth minute.

But even his red card for dragging back Reeves on the lip of the penalty area came as a result of the City midfielder forcing the initial error with his sudden appearance in the Aston Villa loanee’s face.

The away team had been in the ascendancy in the opening skirmishes; numerical advantage just increased that.

Their sixth corner in the first 11 minutes brought the opening goal as Vincelot’s angled header flew in from ten yards. Another nod from the skipper – and nod to “Mr Assist” Tony McMahon.

Unfortunately the right back’s hamstring pull at a second-half corner was the downer of the day. While Luke Hendrie looks a solid replacement in defensive terms, City will miss the consistent delivery at set-pieces for the next month at least.

City’s control of the first period saw them double the lead as Charlie Wyke’s shot from outside the box flicked off Ethan Ebanks-Landell to wrong-foot keeper Lee Nicholls.

According to the stat gurus, that was the big striker’s first goal from distance for two years. More significantly for the Bantams, it doubled his tally on the road in 2017.

MK were passengers – and remained so until the closing moments of the half.

Doyle started to repay his air fare at that point with a point-blank block from Kieran Agard. But he had no chance with Ebanks-Landell’s header in stoppages, the centre half making amends for his earlier deflection by beating his marker Wyke with a well-judged connection inside the far post.

The ten-man hosts suddenly went into half-time with hope – and emerged with the powerful presence of Chuks Aneke to lead the line.

The fact he was later named man of the match by the sponsors despite only playing for one half demonstrated how ineffective MK had been as much as how well he would do.

McCall warned his men not to panic – Walsall remains an obstinate elephant in the dressing room – and City showed no signs of a wobble.

They continued to keep the ball, enjoying two-thirds possession over the full game, and worked at wearing down the opposition.

The home fatigue was creeping in as City restored their two-goal cushion. Law took a short free-kick to Reeves, he rolled a pass through to Matt Kilgallon who squared for Wyke to tap home.

MK had virtually stopped as they implored in vain for an offside flag against anybody.

Still they threatened to flicker back to life but Doyle three times thwarted comeback attempts, most impressively using his full frame to foil Osman Sow with a smothering block.

Ed Upson and Aneke were also frustrated as the keeper confidently prevented the hosts getting another toe-hold.

City then put it to bed with a fourth, Reeves sending Paul Taylor racing clear with a long ball that he gleefully thumped past Nicholls.

A side that had gone seven hours without conceding a goal going into the game had been prised open four times.

Home boss Robbie Neilson, with shades of predecessor Karl Robinson, had a post-match pop at the ref. But City had been great value for an impressive three points.

And the Milton Keynes cabbie had a happy passenger to collect.

PLAYER RATINGS

MK DONS: Nicholls 6, Wootton 6, Williams 6, Ebanks-Landell 7, Lewington 5, Upson 6, Tshibola 0, Gilbey 6, Ariyibi 6 (Ariyibi 84min), Agard 5 (Aneke 46min, 8), Sow 6 (Nesbitt 78min). Subs (not used): Walsh, Seager, McGrandles, Sietsma.

CITY: Doyle 8, McMahon 7 (Hendrie 62min), Knight-Percival 7, Kilgallon 7, Chicksen 7, Gilliead 7, Vincelot 8, Reeves 9, Law 8, Poleon 6 (Taylor 78min), Wyke 8 (Jones 84min). Subs (not used): Dieng, Field, Patrick, Raeder.