ALBION suffered late agony at the Pirelli Stadium as Scott Twine's 95th minute volley broke Albion hearts at the end of a tight affair
The Brewers looked set for a hard-earned point against one of this season's promotion chasers and appeared to have soaked up everything that the visitors could throw at them until a missed clearance saw the ball sit up nicely for Twine who made no mistake to beat Ben Garratt who had earlier made several superb saves to keep Albion in the game.
For Albion's second game in four days boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink resisted the temptation to make a number of changes. In the end there was just one as Jacob Maddox returned to the side replacing Ciaran Gilligan whilst the substitutes bench saw returns for Conor Shaughnessy and Louis Moult.
Both sides set out to try and play passing attacking football and Albion carved out the first real chance nine minutes in when Daniel Jebbison sprung the offside trap and was able to get forward and pick out a cross. Ahadme rose well in the middle to gewt a firm head to the ball seeing it bounce back off the post where keeper Jamie Cumming did enough to prevent Tom Hamer bagging the rebound.
Wolves loanee Theo Corbeanu was showing well in the early stages for MK and the winger drilled a dangerous ball through the six yard box with nobody able to apply a finishing touch before drilling an effort into the side netting as the Burton defence quickly closed him down.
John Brayford provided an aerial threat heading a cross wide from 12 yards before Corbeanu provided the next threat from the visitors drilling a low angled effort wide of Garratt's goal.
Garratt was forced into a good save on 21 minutes nimbly reaching up to tip a JOsh McEachran shot over the bar and from the resulting corner watching defender Tennai Watson's dipping effort bounce off the crossbar. The pressure was mounting and when McEachran had acres of space to run into Albion, potentially, looked exposed but when the ball was eventually worked to Scott Twine on the edge of the box his shot took a nick off a Burton defender that took the sting out of it and made for an ultimately comfortable save for Garratt.
The dangerous Twine set himself again inside the box five minutes before the break and this time it was Brayford stepping out to block the danger. A minute later and the visitors spurned their best chance yet, Garratt denying Troy Parrott and seeing the ball vome back into play off the post but Mo Eisa was unable to convert from a couple of yards out.
Jebbison fired a dipping shot from distance straight into the arms of Cumming with the last action of the first half with both side shoping for better after the break.
Half time: Burton Albion 0-0 MK Dons
The second period wads only three minutes old when MK threatened to break the deadlock. Onyl a superb piece of goalkeeping from Garratt denied Parrott who had peeled away at the back to find room for a shot that looked destined for the back of the net.
Shaughnessy was the man to get the call from the bench when Albion made their first change ten minutes into the second half. Albion were starting to get overrun in the early stages and the change saw a straight swap as the big Irishman came on for Terry Taylor in a holding midfield berth.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson was forced off with a knock that left him struggling on the hour mark and it was another chance for William Kokolo to come on and impress.
Midway through the half and Albion were denied by Cumming again. Tom Hamer did well to recycle a deep cross and Ahadme was denied at point blank range by the on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper.
The play was broken up with fifteen minutes remaining when a nasty clash of heads between Parrott and Sam Hughes left the Burton man requiring lengthy treatment and a substantial bandage to the head when they both returned to the action.
The final seven minutes saw a long awaited Brewers debut for striker Louis Moult as he provided the fresh legs in place of Ahadme as Albion went in search of a late winner.
MK quickly won a corner and went close to a goal when Parrott glanced a heaxder wide in a crowded penalty area.
Seven added minutes, mainly for the stoppage attributable to Hughes' injury saw MK pressing for a winner and it was Twine who fired home a dipping volley deep into added time to break Albion's hearts after a battling performance.
ALBION: Garratt; Hughes, Brayford, Oshilaja; Hamer, Taylor (Shaughnessy, 55), Maddox, Borthwick-Jackson (Kokolo, 60); Powell, Jebbison, Ahadme (Moult, 83).
Substitutes: Hawkins, O'Connor, Mancienne, Lakin.
GOALS: MK DoNS - Twine (90+5)
Referee: Darren Handley
Attendance: 2,171