Milton Keynes Dons 1-0 Mansfield Town: David Wheeler goal seals promotion for Dons
- Published
MK Dons celebrate David Wheeler's goal that sealed promotion to League One
MK Dons narrowly beat Mansfield Town to pip them to League Two's final automatic promotion place.
The sides started the final day level on points, with goal difference giving Mansfield Town the edge.
But Dons seized the advantage inside two minutes when David Wheeler headed home a Dean Lewington corner.
The Stags piled on the pressure after half-time but could not find a breakthrough as Milton Keynes held on for a first clean sheet since March to seal an immediate return to League One.
Two lengthy injury delays in the closing stages meant the home side had to survive almost eight minutes of added time. However, as was the case for much of the game, Mansfield struggled to create a clear-cut opening despite Dons' understandable nerves.
By that point Paul Tisdale's side should have been more comfortable, Kieran Agard missing the best of several opportunities when he went through one-on-one with Town keeper Conrad Logan, who saved well.
The visitors' best chances came in the way of goalmouth scrambles, with both Krystian Pearce and Danny Rose going close in the second half.
But the hosts held firm to spark jubilant scenes at the final whistle as many of the 20,718-strong crowd spilled onto the Stadium MK pitch.
Mansfield manager David Flitcroft - whose side were backed by more than 5,000 travelling supporters - must raise his players for a play-off meeting with Newport County, having occupied an automatic promotion place for much of his first full season in charge.
Milton Keynes Dons promotion
MK Dons have spent the majority of their 15-year existence in the third tier and they will return to that level next season, bouncing back at the first attempt after relegation last term.
Promotion was also achieved in Tisdale's first season as manager, the former Exeter boss having left the Grecians after 12 years and successive play-off final defeats to take charge last summer.
Their success has been built on their front two - few League Two sides can boast a more deadly strike force than Agard and Chuks Aneke, with 37 league goals between them this season.
Dons began the season well but a poor run around the turn of the year, including seven defeats in 10 games, appeared to have derailed their automatic promotion hopes.
Indeed, that sequence not only left them several points off the top three, it also pushed Dons down as far as eighth at one stage, outside the play-off positions.
But five straight wins put them right back in the picture and, despite a recent wobble, they knew victory over Mansfield on the last day would see them pip the Stags to the final promotion place.