Football League round-up: Five-star MK Dons up to Championship as Preston blow it

Another last day of drama in the Football League as MK Dons beat Preston to a shot at the Championship

(Getty)

Not bad for a so-called franchise club that has only been in existence for just under 12 years. MK Dons, formed after the old Wimbledon moved 50 miles north to the roundabout-infested new town, will, thanks to yesterday’s 5-1 win over already-relegated Yeovil, begin next season one tier below the Premier League.

Dean Lewington, the captain, who has been at the club since they were based in south-west London, scored twice as well as setting up goals for Darren Potter and Will Grigg. Carl Baker scored the first.

The Dons headed into the final fixture of the League One season needing to better the result of Preston North End in order to secure the remaining automatic promotion spot, behind Bristol City.

Preston were beaten 1-0 by Colchester – with that result ensuring the latter’s survival – and must negotiate the play-offs. They are up against Chesterfield in the play-offs, while Sheffield United will play Swindon.

Karl Robinson, the Dons’ manager, said: “I just feel numb. What an amazing 12 months we’ve had. I’m just so proud of the players. Every single player gave their all from the first whistle to the last whistle of the season. It’s an amazing day, we’ll never ever forget it.”

Leyton Orient’s disastrous season ended with a whimper as they suffered relegation to League Two, having thrown away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Swindon. The result was immaterial, however, due to Colchester’s win.

Crawley – who lost 2-1 at home to Coventry – and Notts County, who were leading up to the 88th minute but conceded three times in the closing stages to lose 3-1 at Gillingham, joined Orient in going down.

Meanwhile on Saturday Bournemouth claimed the Championship title with their 3-0 win at Charlton after Watford drew. Their chairman, Jeff Mostyn, has overseen a dramatic rise at Bournemouth, but admitted that “anyone with real sense” would have declined to buy the club.

“Having bought the club, I believe it was bought with my heart rather than my head,” Mostyn said. “Anybody with any real sense would have walked away, as numerous people did.. There were huge debts and a lot of non-disclosure but having started to put money into the football club, for whatever reason I was slightly deluded, as a financial adviser, thinking I could turn around the impossible.

“People have since said they wouldn’t take advice from a financial adviser who had bought a football club.”Norwich, Ipswich, Middlesbrough and Brentford all secured play-off places. Derby, who had spent most of the season in the top six, fell out of the reckoning missed out with a 3-0 home defeat to Reading.