Iron & Franchise all-square and all to play for

League One Play-off Semi-Final Leg 1

Scunthorpe United 1 MK Dons 1

Scunny boss Nigel Adkins sprung a couple of team changes for the game, with Joseph Mills (back), Marcus Williams (virus) and Andy Wright (facial injury) all sidelined.

Ian Morris was thrust into the starting line-up at left-back - just days after returning to Glanford Park from a loan spell at Carlisle, while player/assistant manager Andy Crosby was wheeled out of semi retirement at the heart of the defence, with Adkins preferring the veteran's experience for the big occasion at Krystian Pearce's expense.

Goalkeeper Joe Murphy was also fit to start his first match in three weeks after recovering from the groin problem that had ruled him out of the closing two League One matches.

The Dons too were not without injury problems, with influential centre-half Sean O'Hanlon and striker Ali Gerba (both knee) missing.

After a nervy start from both sides, the Iron had the best chance in the opening stages but Gary Hooper's sixth minute attempted lob, after Willy Gueret thought better of coming off his line, was easily caught by the Frenchman.

The clash pitched together third against sixth, though the fact the visitors finished 11 points ahead of the Iron in the final table counted for nothing according to both bosses in the build-up.

Martyn Woolford was on hand to deflect the ball past Willy Gueret in the MK Dons goal to give the Iron a deserved 12th minute advantage.

The goal had come about after a terrific ball to left from the boot of Grant McCann which found Paul Hayes on the left. The 20-goal striker cut inside before forcing a smart stop from Gueret. But the keeper's palm clear fell to Woolford who gleefully tucked it away.

But, in the 27th minute, the visitors were level when Aaron Wilbraham nodded in at the near post from close range.

The Iron had a decent penalty shout waved away by referee Scott Mathieson on 31 minutes when Hooper was seemingly pulled down in the area by Jude Sterling. But the referee was having none of it, leaving the game deadlocked as time ticked away toward the break.

And, after both sides had showed menace going forward, the half time whistle brought to an end a tactical first period that saw the Iron close down quickly, and with vigour, while also showing enough of a threat in front of goal to suggest a sloppy and error-strewn Dons defence would be in for a torrid second half.

The second period started with a similarly nip and tuck feel to it, with chances at both ends. Hooper had the ball in the net first, after slotting home into an empty net following a deflected Hayes shot. But the 30-goal ex-Blue was stood a yard off-side and the chance was chalked off.

The Iron were far from dominant however and the Dons may yet live to rue Miguel Llera's missed opportunity midway through the half. The Spaniard rose unopposed, six yards out, but put his header well when he should have done much better.

Then came a frantic few minutes as Scunthorpe banged on the Dons door, looking for a second goal.

First Hayes, after running clear and latching on to a long ball over the top, forced a smart low stop from Gueret before Jude Sterling was on hand to deflect a close range shot on the turn from sub Krystian Pearce, over the bar in the 78th minute.

As the game became more frantic, it took a magnificent 84th minute block from David Mirfin to deny Wilbraham a second goal on the night. After nipping past Murphy on the edge of the box, the Dons striker fired goalward, only to be denied by a fantastic block by Mirfin, who somehow got a foot on it to clear.

Despite five minutes of added time, no one could find a winner so it will be a level playing field when the two meet once again next Friday at stadium:mk for the joy of facing Millwall or Leeds at Wembley.

For the Iron manager Adkins said after the game: "I thought it was entertaining for everybody. It was good. They are an excellent side. It was a good result from our point of view, because we know that we can go down there and win. I thought it was a good competitive game. I enjoyed it."

Replays showed the Dons should not have been awarded a corner in the build-up to their equaliser, but Adkins refused to blame the referee for their failure to win the contest.

He continued: "Obviously it should have been goal-kick for us, but that happens in football. The referees make honest decisions. You have to accept them and get on with them. At the end of the day we didn't have a bit of fortune dealing with the corner."

Replying for the Franchise, boss Roberto Di Matteo said: "I think it's a good result for us. I think we played well. I think we were a bit unlucky not to score the second goal. We made a few mistakes, I have to be honest. There were a few things that I didn't like. But generally it was a good performance. I was pleased with the boys. I thought we started brightly going forward. Maybe after five or six minutes they got more into the game, but I thought we had a good start."

SCUNTHORPE: Murphy (Lillis 87) Byrne, Mirfin, Crosby (Pearce 71), Morris; Sparrow, Togwell, McCann, Woolford; Hayes, Hooper (Thompson 75). Subs: May, Trotter.

MK DONS: Gueret; Regan, Llera, Stirling, Lewington; Wright (Cummings 87), Leven, Howell, Chadwick (Baldock 70); Puncheon; Wilbraham. Subs: Abbey, Navarro, Flo.

ATT: 6,599 (695 away)