Stevenage completed the perfect weekend as the U18s advanced in the FA Youth Cup.

With the senior men beating Guiseley in the FA Cup and the senior women seeing off Cambridge City in the Women's FA Cup, both on penalties, the youngsters travelled to MK Dons to see if they could complete the set. 

And goals from Ryan Doherty, Tanil Salik, Frank Norris and Lenny Brown made it a wonderful evening at Stadium MK, winning 4-0.

They will now play Cheltenham Town at home in round two.

The first thing that was apparent from the early exchanges was that both sides were keen to go forward.

MK had a shot inside the first 60 seconds, Michael Brammeld leaning back too much and unable to keep his effort down.

And the same man also had a wickedly dipping effort on eight minutes. It was beating Max Woodford in the Boro goal from the minute it left his foot, 25 yards out, but it also beat the crossbar, clipping the roof of the net on its way over.

However, Stevenage were getting in behind the Dons defence with alarming regularity if you were on the home bench.

Doherty scuffed one shot while Lenny Brown was caught by four converging defenders as he tried to run in from 45 yards.

He did though have one glorious chance as he broke into the box but he never looked comfortable with the bounce of the ball or the fact it was on his left foot.

That gave Arthur Dobson a chance to recover but the tackle that came was honed to the thou of an inch, and timed to perfection as well.

It meant the shot from the Boro man bounced off Dobson's leg and over the top.

But it was Boro who got the breakthrough on 32 minutes and while Doherty gets the credit for scoring, the goal belonged to the tenacity of Salik.

He harried and hassled and somehow harangued the much larger Kobe Sinclair-Linton into panic mood, getting in behind him and getting to the ball before it crossed the byline.

His pull back ran just in front of the sliding Norris but came through to the unmarked Doherty at the back post to slot home with ease.

MK did respond but it was Boro who nearly got the next goal, Salik beating the offside trap and sending his shot left of Jesse Bedford, but square off the keeper's near post.

That was on the stroke of half-time and two minutes into the second period, he made amends in style.

Brown's little flick and prod forward sent him scampering away down the right side.

He had plenty of time to think about it and put himself off but he never looked anywhere near short of confidence, burying the finish across Bedford as he hit the area.

Nine minutes later, Boro wrapped things up with what will arguably be the goal of the season for the entire club.

It was a beautifully crafted counter attack with the absolute minimum number of passes required.

With Salik and Brown involved in the initial build-up, Brown slid the ball out to the left where Oliver Reeve was on a charge.

He hit it first time, bending it round the back of the defence and into the box for Norris to run onto.

His reaction was a first-time shot back across the keeper and into the far corner.

If there was a criticism it was that Stevenage's foot came off the gas and it allowed MK Dons to have plenty of pressure on the Boro box.

However, that criticism was tempered by the fact the defence, superbly marshalled by Woodford, never bowed down or broke once.

In the end it was one of their number who should have made it 4-0, Alfie Thornett heading wide after a corner was played short and despite being unmarked.

He needn't have worried as Brown wrapped things up on 88, turning the last defender and finishing from the edge of the area.

FA Youth Cup match details

MK Dons (0) 0 Stevenage (1) 4

Stevenage: Woodford, Bates, Reeve (Wright 83), O'Keefe (Vegh 77), Henry (Impey 86), Thornett, England (Mutanga 62), Doherty, Norris (Cadman 60), Brown, Salik.

Subs (not used): Barnes, Howell.

Goals: Doherty 32, Salik 47, Norris 56, Brown 88

Booked: Brown 24

 

MK Dons: Bedford, Dobson, Sinclair-Linton (Sandford 85), Boyce (Nash 65), Lewis-Burgess, Silver, Clark-Anderson, Troso (Walker 74), Brammeld (White 85), Guzynski (Bardhan-Correia 85), Medwynter.

Subs (not used): Lupinski.

Goals: 

Booked: Clark-Anderson 90+5

 

Added time: 5+7

Referee: Luke Scott (Northants FA)

 

 

Stevenage three stars: Tanil Salik, Alfie Thornett, Ellis Bates/Max Woodford.

MK Dons three stars: Arthur Dobson, Keon Lewis-Burgess, Michael Brammeld.