COLCHESTER United were knocked out of the FA Cup at the first-round stage for the fourth successive year after losing 3-2 at home to MK Dons this afternoon.
The U's bowed out of the competition despite having led twice against their League Two rivals, at the JobServe Community Stadium.
Micah Mbick and Harry Anderson had put Colchester 1-0 and then 2-1 up, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy equalising on both occasions before substitute Joe Tomlinson grabbed an 87th-minute winner for the visitors, just when it looked like extra-time would be on the cards.
Referee Abigail Byrne incurred the wrath of the home fans at the final whistle, with a string of decisions going against Colchester on the day.
Colchester boss Danny Cowley made two changes to his starting line-up for the game against MK Dons.
Kane Vincent-Young and Jaden Williams both came into the side in place of Rob Hunt and Jack Payne, who both dropped out due to injury while there was a welcome return for both club captain Tom Flanagan and Milton Oni, who were on the bench.
There was an open feel to the cup-tie and the visitors almost took a sixth-minute lead when Will Collar's downward header from a corner at the far post sailed wide.
But after an even opening, Colchester took a 26th-minute lead through Mbick, who received Anderson's pass and lifted a superb shot over the stranded MK Dons goalkeeper Connal Trueman and into the vacant net from around 25 yards, for a magnificent goal.
Buoyed by the goal, the U’s went in search of another and felt they should have been awarded a penalty five minutes later when Mbick fell under Collar's challenge in the area, only for their claims to fall on deaf ears.
But MK Dons equalised in the 37th minute through Hepburn-Murphy’s strike which deflected in off Colchester goalkeeper Matt Macey, after Aaron Nemane’s pass broke the offside trap.
Colchester had another penalty shout turned down in first-half stoppage time when an MK Dons defender appeared to handle in the area, as the teams went in level at the break.
However, it did not take the U's long to restore their lead, after half-time.
MK Dons defender Jack Sanders dithered on the ball in the area resulting in Lisbie robbing him of possession and squaring to Anderson, who coolly controlled before lifting the ball into the net for his sixth goal in as many games.
But once again, Colchester's lead was short-lived.
Hepburn-Murphy collected Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's pass and drilled a neat low shot past Macey and into the far corner, after the visitors had again broken U's offside trap.
The tie could have gone either way after that but Colchester fell behind for the first time in the tie in the 87th minute when substitute Tomlinson, who slotted home from Mendez-Laing's pass.
Five minutes of stoppage time were added at the end and Lisbie almost netted a last-gasp equaliser for the U's with the last kick of the game but the U's bowed out of the competition at the first-round stage.
MATCH STATS: Colchester United: Macey, Vincent-Young, Tucker, Araujo, Iandolo, Read, Bishop, Anderson (sub Edwards, 88), Williams (sub Tovide, 71), Lisbie, Mbick.
Substitutes (not used): Hunt, Powell, Flanagan, Oni, Gordon, Goodwin, Smith.
MK Dons: Trueman, Kelly, Crowley (sub Thompson-Sommers, 88), Mendez-Laing, Offord, Nemane, Collar (sub Paterson, 76), Ekpiteta, Mellish (sub Tomlinson, 70), Hepburn-Murphy, Sanders (sub Thompson, 76).
Substitutes (not used): Finch, Leko, Lewis-Burgess, Troso, Medwynter.
Referee: Abigail Byrne.
Goals: Colchester: Mbick (26), Anderson (48). MK Dons: Hepburn-Murphy (37, 58), Tomlinson (87).
Bookings: Colchester: Read (foul, 52), Mbick (unsporting behaviour, 90). MK Dons: Mellish (foul, 40), Ekpiteta (foul, 45), Offord (foul, 65), Thompson-Sommers (foul, 88).
Sending off: None.
Attendance: 3,639 (265 MK Dons fans).
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