Milton Keynes Dons 2-1 AFC Wimbledon: Dons hold on to beat rivals

Milton Keynes Dons held on to beat rivals AFC Wimbledon in the latest meeting between the two bitter rivals.

Rhys Healey doubled the lead with a strike from the edge of the box after good footwork to beat his marker.

Marcus Forss scored scored five minutes into his Wimbledon debut to set up a tense finish.

The win moves Paul Tisdale's side close to the top half of the table while the visitors stay in the early League One relegation zone.

The south London phoenix club were formed in 2002 by Wimbledon FC supporters upset by the Football Association's decision to allow their club to move to Milton Keynes and 2003 and subsequently change their name to MK Dons in the summer of 2004.

While emotions among some fans of the old Wimbledon FC are still raw, the club that replaced them failed to take their chances.

Nombe's early goal set the tone in a fixture which never threatened to boil over, and while the hosts scored with their two best efforts of the first half, AFC Wimbledon spurned two chances that were arguably better.

Joe Piggott had a close-range header go straight into Lee Nicholls' arms while Kwesi Appiah headed weakly at the goalkeeper from inside the six-yard box seven minutes later.

A quiet second period was brightened when Kalambayi had an effort saved by Nicholls from a corner after an hour and Appiah skied an effort straight after, before Michael Folivi was repelled by Nicholls.

Wimbledon finally found a way past the hosts' goalkeeper with seven minutes left as Brentford loanee Forss peeled off at the back post to brilliantly head Nesta Guinness-Walker's cross back across the face of goal and into the opposite corner of the net.

Kalambayi saw a header from a stoppage-time corner drift just wide as the visitors tried in vain to come away with a point.