MK Dons 2, Huddersfield Town 1

Feb 14 2005 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

DEFEAT was painfully cruel on Town - but it leaves them looking over their shoulders more nervously than ever.

Clive Platt's agonising stoppage-time winner for MK Dons places Town just seven points above the drop zone and in need of some fresh impetus.

To lose it so late was sickening for the 1,000-plus travelling fans who froze in the fierce wind which ruined the match, but throwing away leads has become a dangerous and all-too-common trait for Town over the last few months.

On this occasion, Town certainly didn't deserve it.

Any decent football played in the difficult conditions came from them, they created enough chances to win the game well and they had no luck whatsoever with crucial decisions in the match.

After Andy Booth had headed them into a 30th-minute lead with his sixth of the season, there was a clear offside as Ben Harding broke through to set up Izale McLeod for the equaliser just two minutes later.

Then, after huge penalty appeals for handball had been turned down, substitute Pawel Abbott thought he'd restored Town's lead 12 minutes from time with a flicked header from Lee Fowler's free-kick, but the offside flag went up against John McCombe as he helped the ball in at the back post.

With Abbott and Luke Beckett - in the last match of his initial loan spell from Sheffield United - missing cracking late chances as Town continued to press forward, it only increased the agony when Platt pounced.

The winner came from Fowler losing possession to Malvin Kamara on the left, although it seemed Town might escape when 17-year-old Tom Clarke, on his debut at right-back, got back to block the cross in the danger area. It wasn't to be, however, as Platt hooked home the follow-up.

If there was any consolation for Town, it came from the performances of their newest recruits to first-team action.