- Railwaymen beaten on the road
- Nevitt moves to 16 for season
- Bell’s men drop to fifth
Crewe Alexandra were beaten 3-1 in an open and entertaining game at MK Dons
Elliott Nevitt’s 16th of the season cancelled out a Matthew Dennis opener, but the Dons striker quickly restored his side’s advantage.
Stephen Wearne made it 3-1 before the break and that’s the way it stayed, despite a number of good chances created by Crewe in an improved second-half display.
The Alex have dropped to fifth in League Two as a result, and now prepare for the visit of AFC Wimbledon next weekend.
Manager Lee Bell made three changes to the side that beat Sutton in midweek – and two of them were enforced.
Courtney Baker-Richardson (shoulder) and Joel Tabiner (thigh) missed out, while Charlie Kirk dropped to the bench.
Aaron Rowe, Ryan Cooney and Nevitt were recalled, as the Alex operated in a 3-5-2 shape.
MK Dons, who were looking to extend a six-game unbeaten run at home, missed a glorious chance inside three minutes.
Dennis beat the offside trap and raced clear, one-on-one with keeper Tom Booth. But he dragged his shot wide.
But he was given a second bite of the cherry soon afterwards when the ball came in from the left and the number 30 was on hand to scramble home.
Rowe fired a powerful shot into the gloves of keeper Michael Kelly as the Alex tried to respond, and they were level on 19 minutes.
Rowe crossed from the left and when his marker slipped, Nevitt expertly controlled and lashed home.
But it didn’t last long. On 22 minutes the home side worked the ball through the pitch before Wearne fed Dennis to score from an angle.
And it was 3-0 shortly after when Alex Gilbey got down the left and squared for Wearne to slide into the net.
Just after the half hour Cooney was sent clear through on goal but Kelly spread himself to make a good stop.
Ed Turns headed just wide from a Conor Thomas cross, but the Alex could not net another back before the break.
Turns saw a header blocked and Shilow Tracey got behind the home defence but, knocked off balance, scooped over the bar, as Crewe pressed early in the second half.
On 69 minutes Adebisi sent a curling cross to the far post where Cooney met it with a side-foot volley, but Kenny blocked it with his feet.
Nevitt blazed over from close range and, on 75 minutes, brought a good save from the keeper after good work from Zac Williams.
Booth made super stops from Gilbey and Kyran Lofthouse as the home side looked for the killer goal.
Lewis Leigh whipped a free-kick just wide in the closing stages but The Railwaymen were beaten.
MK Dons (3-4-3): Kelly; O’Hora, Harvie, Williams; Gilbey, Bate, Payne (Norman, 73), Lofthouse; Bate, Dennis (Harrison, 72), Tomlinson, Wearne (Kemp, 63).
Subs not used: Harness, Norman, Lewington, Tezgel.
Booked: Bate, Tomlinson, Kemp.
Crewe (3-4-3): Booth; Williams, Turns (Kirk, 89), Demetriou; Cooney (Leigh, 81), Thomas, Austerfield, Adebisi, Rowe; Nevitt, Tracey.
Subs not used: Davies, Finney, Billington, Woodcock, Agius.
Booked: Turns, Cooney.
Referee: Paul Howard.
Attendance: 6,661 (719).
