MK Dons are through to the Second Round of the FA Cup after a late goal clinched a 3-2 win over Colchester.
A game between two League Two sides saw Micah Mbick score a long range opener, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy equalise for the visitors, Harry Anderson put the hosts back in front and Hepburn-Murphy score a second equaliser.
Joe Tomlinson’s 87th minute goal would win the day for Paul Warne’s side, as MK Dons book passage to the Second Round of the FA Cup for the first time in three seasons.
Having seen an unbeaten league run ended by Bromley last week, the Dons arrived in Essex seeking to bounce back to winning ways and secure an FA Cup victory on their first of two visits to Colchester this season, with the Dons scheduled to visit Colchester on New Year’s Day.
A fairly even opening stage of the contest saw the Dons have a few half-chances thwarted by home keeper Matt Macey, but just before the half-hour, Colchester took the lead. A long ball down the home side’s right flank caught away side defenders out of position, and with Connal Trueman having rushed off his line, Mbick placed a fine strike above the keeper and into the back of the net.
MK Dons would then equalise just over 10 minutes later. Aaron Nemane’s pass down the right released Hepburn-Murphy, who threaded a strike under Macey and over the line to put the away side on level terms.
Colchester retook the lead in the opening minutes of the second half. Jack Sanders was dispossessed a few yards outside his own box, and on their break forward, Kyreece Lisbie fed Anderson, who drew out Trueman, created space for a shot and rammed one into the roof of the net.
Once again, Colchester held their lead for ten minutes before MK Dons found an equaliser. Hepburn-Murphy would grab his second of the game when he received Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s through-ball and duly dispatched it beyond Macey’s grasp.
With extra-time looming, MK Dons wound up finding a breakthrough with 87 minutes on the clock. Mendez-Laing’s pass wound up at the feet of Tomlinson, who drilled the strike home.
Colchester were unable to respond to trailing for the first time in the whole contest, as MK Dons ground out the win that sees them advance and book their place in Monday’s Second Round draw.
Luton Town scored a late winner to beat Forest Green Rovers 4-3 in an eventful FA Cup First Round tie at Kenilworth Road.
It had seemed like the Hatters were on course for a straight forward victory when they went 3-0 up at home to a side two divisions below them, with Lamine Fanne and a Nahki Wells double giving Jack Wilshere’s side the three goal advantage.
But Forest Green Rovers fought back, with Tom Knowles, Kyle McAllister and Aidan Dausch all coming off the bench to wipe out the home side’s lead and bring the tie back level.
With extra-time looming, a Hatters sub decided the game as Gideon Kodua’s goal in the second minute of stoppage time restored Luton’s lead.
Victory means that Luton survived the scare against National League level opponents, as they hold on to book their place in the Second Round.
The match on Halloween night was the first tie to be played in the FA Cup First Round this season, with Luton entering in the First Round as a League One club, in their first appearance this early in the competition since winning promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Against a Rovers side doing well in the 5th tier under the management of Robbie Savage, Luton named a strong side with 9 of the starting line-up from last weekend’s win over Northampton.
The hosts would break the deadlock in the 23rd minute. A few moments after he had fired wide from a Wells pass, Fanne was on target for the Hatters when he received Wells’ pass on the edge of the box and fired a strike into the back of the net.
Luton then made it 2-0 seven minutes later. Forest Green Rovers keeper Fiachra Pagel couldn’t hold Cohen Bramall’s long-range free-kick and Wells followed up to dink the ball into the goal for the home side’s second.
A third goal would then come for the home side less than ten minutes into the second half. Jack Richards played the ball out for Fanne in the centre-left channel, and he was able to square it back across goal for Wells to tap in from a few yards out.
Before Luton could truly relax and declare the job done, Forest Green Rovers pulled a goal back to make it 3-1 seven minutes later on the hour mark. Knowles’ curling strike took a big deflection off Luton defender Teden Mengi, which helped divert the ball into the back of the net.
Not long after that, Forest Green Rovers cut the deficit further. Mengi’s foul on Harry Whitwell was penalised, and from 12 yards, McAllister beat Luton’s Josh Keeley to bring the score back to 3-2 with just over 20 minutes of the 90 to play.
Forest Green Rovers then completed the comeback to get back to 3-3 in the 78th minute. Whitwell’s cross wasn’t cleared and debutant Dausch was in place to rifle past Keeley to equalise for the visitors.
Things nearly got even worse for Luton, as Laurent Mendy’s header at a free-kick hit the bar.
But in the second minute of added time, Luton got back in front. Two subs combined for Wilshere’s side as Jerry Yates fed Kodua, who duly walloped the ball into the back of the net to make it 4-3.
An extraordinary night still could’ve taken a further twist, as Dausch miscued his strike when seemingly in a perfect place to fire past Keeley and equalise.
But Luton eventually got it over the line, taking the victory and booking their place in Round 2, with the draw taking place on Monday (03/11).
Brackley Town pulled off an FA Cup shock after beating League Two Notts County on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
A lively encounter in front of the BBC cameras was decided by a shoot-out, which National League side Brackley won 3-2 to book their place in the Second Round of the FA Cup for the fifth time.
Alassana Jatta had put the visitors in front before Matt Lowe equalised for the Saints. The second half was then a tale of two penalties, as Notts County had taken the lead through Jodi Jones’ spot-kick early in the half before an injury time equaliser by Callum Stewart brought the hosts level.
With no winner in extra-time, spot-kicks determined it and with Notts County missing 2 of their 5 penalties, a Brackley side that missed 1 of their 5 held their nerve to win the match and book their place in the next round.
The tie had represented a grand occasion for the Northamptonshire-based club, who were aiming for an upset akin to their pair of victories over Gillingham in the mid-2010s in front of a national TV audience.
But with 13 minutes on the clock, Notts County broke the deadlock as Jatta headed in Jones’ cross.
Jatta would see another strike blocked by home defender Riccardo Calder, which proved to be a big moment when Brackley equalised moments later.
A floated cross into the box by Tyler Lyttle found Lowe, who got his header into the back of the net to land Brackley Town an equaliser.
Brackley then had a goal controversially disallowed, with an offside flag denying Jacob Bedeau’s own goal from standing despite replays suggesting the offside flag in the build up may have been raised incorrectly.
Shane Byrne would then be denied by Kelle Roos as the Saints ended the first half stronger, but it was Notts County who had an early chance after the break when Jonny Maxted pulled off a finger-tip save to deny Jones’ free-kick from range.
Notts County then took the lead from the penalty spot. Maxted’s foul on Conor Grant was penalised, and from the spot, Jones made it 2-1 to the visitors.
An extraordinary moment saw Morgan Roberts’ header hit the bar, bounce narrowly in front of the line, rise up to hit the bar again and bounce free without having gone into the back of the net.
But there would be even more drama right at the end, as Ollie Norburn handled a cross to give Brackley a penalty. From the spot, Stewart beat Roos to grab Brackley a 96th minute equaliser and force extra-time.
With chances being at a premium in the extra 30, that meant penalties and there was drama straight away when Jatta hit the crossbar with Notts County’s first spot-kick.
Both sides missed their third kicks, as Keanan Bennetts saw his strike denied by Maxted, before Roos kept out Brackley’s third kick.
But everyone else held their nerve, allowing Zak Brown to be the hero as his kick beat Roos to win Brackley the shootout, and allowing the Saints passage to Round Two for the second season in a row.
The retailer MINISO has opened a new branch at the centre:mk shopping centre in Milton Keynes.
The Chinese lifestyle retail brand opened their 50th UK branch in the centre:mk with an event on Wednesday (29/10), opening a branch that will be offering over 1000 products.
MINISO has taken up residence in an outlet formerly occupied by Quiz next to Burger King in the centre:mk, with the retailer selling such goods as plush toys and character merchandise, stationery and creative supplies, tech accessories, home décor and storage solutions, beauty and self-care essentials, gift ideas, stocking fillers and snacks.
The opening is part of rapid expansion by the MINISO brand in the UK market, with the company having also recently opened branches in such places as Birmingham, Glasgow, Bromley, Telford and Edinburgh.
Kevin Duffy, centre director at Centre:mk, said in a statement, “MINISO’s decision to bring its popular brand to Centre:mk is a reflection of the centre’s vast catchment area, high footfall and our ability to attract global retailers, and a clear endorsement in both Milton Keynes and the strength of Centre:mk as a dominant regional centre.”
The centre:mk shopping centre in Milton Keynes is encouraging retailers and shoppers to ‘Think Accessibility’ ahead of marking Purple Tuesday.
Taking place on 4 November, Purple Tuesday is a global movement, with participation from thousands of businesses and organisations in over 30 countries. The huge initiative highlights the challenges disabled people face in navigating public spaces and services, shining a spotlight on their needs and supporting the implementation of ways to improve their visitor experience.
This year’s initiatives follow the success of 2024, when centre:mk was at the heart of city-wide efforts to make Milton Keynes the UK’s first accessible ‘Purple City’.
For 2025, centre:mk announced that they will be the first UK shopping centre to deliver Unseen Aware Training to 100% of its staff and retailers. Between 70-80% of disabilities are unseen, so the news is intended to mark an important moment for improving accessibility for all.
Unseen Aware helps to normalise the conversation by giving those with unseen disabilities the confidence to speak up, and giving those who don’t have an unseen disability the confidence to reply. It gives individuals access to an online training portal, with a series of training videos to complete to become an Unseen Disabilities Ally.
The course equips the trainee with the skills and principles to interact with people with unseen disabilities, covers the range of unseen disabilities and the support that individuals may need. The training also provides a weekly newsletter covering new topics that further enhance the training platform. By providing the stores that have taken part in the training with a decal for their window, and staff with an unseen aware badge, shoppers with unseen disabilities can be confident that the staff in that retailer will be able to give them the customer service that they need, for the best possible experience.
Commenting on the milestone, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Unseen Aware, Simon Houghton, said, “As someone with hearing loss, I know the day-to-day challenges of a hidden disability all too well. Unseen Aware aims to give staff the confidence to approach and interact with others who have a hidden disability, so it’s hugely encouraging to see centre:mk delivering this vital training across its entire staff and retailers.”
Unseen Aware enhances centre:mk’s existing unseen disabilities training, including dementia awareness and basic sign language. The fully-flat centre now also has 17 Mental Health First Aiders and operates a sunflower lanyard scheme.
The centre launched its first sensory room in November 2024, offering a quiet and calming space for families and individuals to take a break from the busy shops and public spaces environment. Since its launch, the sensory room has proved a valuable addition to centre:mk’s accessibility efforts, having been used 128 times over the past 12 months. centre:mk also offers mobility scooter and wheelchair hire free of charge, has a Changing places toilet and a hearling loop in the guest services lounge.
The centre is also a proud partner of an audit of public spaces across Milton Keynes, alongside MyMiltonKeynes (MyMK) BID and accessibility organisation AccessAble. The results, in the form of online summaries of destinations and spaces, mean that disabled people can plan their visits and understand the facilities available to them in advance.
For Purple Tuesday this year, MyMK will be conducting a questionnaire to gain feedback and ideas into how accessibility can be further improved in Milton Keynes city centre and what modifications and enhancements people would like to see. The questionnaire will be available online and via a QR code in centre:mk’s Guest Services lounge – decorated in honour of Purple Tuesday alongside the centre’s purple-lit cark park.
Ahead of Purple Tuesday 2025, Kim Priest, Head of Marketing at centre:mk, said,“centre:mk is already an incredibly accessible centre, all on one level with excellent facilities. Our “Open to All” commitment is the delivery of an inclusive, welcoming environment to everyone, all year round and that is at the heart of the training we have delivered with Unseen Aware. We are the first shopping centre to have 100% completion by our retailers and staff, bringing us another step closer to achieving our vision of creating the first “Purple City” in collaboration with MyMK and other businesses across the city centre.”
