Match Report

MK Dons recorded their third straight victory with a 2-1 win against Bristol Rovers.

Goals either side of the break from Ali Gerba and Luke Chadwick were enough for three points, despite a nervy ending when Steve Elliott headed in six minutes from time.

Those last five minutes aside it was plain sailing for the Dons who made the Easter weekend a profitable one.

The win should all but guarantee them a place in the play-offs and keeps the outside dream of automatic promotion alive. It also means Leicester City will have to wait another day to seal their passage to the Championship.

Roberto Di Matteo named an unchanged side from the one that beat Southend, but after that brilliant second half against the Shrimpers it took them a while to get going as Rovers held early possession.

Dons still looked more dangerous when going forward though, Miguel Llera almost scrambling the ball over the line from a corner.

Jason Puncheon then fired agonisingly wide after a good turn on the edge of the box. Then just before the half-hour mark Gerba went one better.

The Canadian international robbed the ball from the careless Bryon Anthony and then raced though on goal before smashing the ball past Steve Phillips at his near post.

Rovers did eventually force a save from Willy Gueret, but it was really one for the cameras as he dived to palm away Jo Kuffour's curling effort.

The second half was as easy as they come for Di Matteo's men.

After Puncheon had just poked wide they got the crucial second soon after.

Gerba was the architect of it as he took a long ball down on his chest superbly, turned and fed in a ball behind the defence for Chadwick, who just beat Phillips to tap home.

Rovers rarely threatened and they just couldn't cope with the mercurial Puncheon.

On the hour mark Dons broke superbly from a rare Bristol corner. Stephen Gleeson fed the ball in to Gerba who turned and played a lovely ball behind the Rovers' defence for Puncheon, who fired a right-foot shot that was just kept out at the near post by Phillips.

Then ten minutes later Puncheon showed audacious skill as he nutmegged Chris Lines and then beat Elliott, before his low angle shot was well saved past by Phillips.

But Bristol ended the game strongly with some decent efforts on goal. Substitute Darryl Duffy forced a good saved from Gueret with a curling effort.

And then from a Stuart Campbell delivery, Elliott rose highest and thundered in a superb header to the far post.

It caused a tense ending to the game as Bristol went in search of an equaliser and memories of the Crewe game came seeping back.

But the closest the Pirates got was a daisy-cutter from Rickie Lambert that just whistled past the post.

Corners

Fouls

Goal attempts

Shots off target

Offsides