Town’s friendly with MK Dons remains goalless at half-time, although Paul Hurst will take encouragement from a bright, positive half in which his team pressed ferociously at times and showed plenty of intent in possession.
Hurst’s starting line-up included a fresh face in the form of Ellis Harrison, whose signing from Bristol Rovers was confirmed on Monday.
Harrison started in the centre-forward position, flanked by Grant Ward on the right and Gwion Edwards, making his first start for Town, opposite.
Freddie Sears began in an unfamiliar number 10 role, Flynn Downes and Cole Skuse assuming deeper midfield duties. Jonas Knudsen, making his first appearance since representing Denmark at the World Cup, joined Luke Chambers, Luke Woolfenden and Jordan Spence in a back four underpinned by Bartosz Bialkowski.
Somewhat inevitably, Hurst’s decision to start Martyn Waghorn — the subject of sustained interest from Sheffield United — on the bench was a source of considerable pre-match conjecture.
Harrison was quickly in on the action, seeing a shot blocked inside the area after Ward had reached the ball ahead of a home defender and made ground down the right. The forward, who led an energetic Town press in the early stages, had a second bite of the cherry but curled over from the edge of the box.
The hosts, playing at home for the first time under Paul Tisdale, threatened in the sixth minute when Conor McGrandles found space on the right of the Town box. Edwards, covering adeptly, managed to avert the danger with referee Scott Duncan uninterested in muted appeals for a penalty.
Edwards showed a glimpse of his quality at the other end with a sharp piece of control and turn, rather spoiling it with a wayward final cross.
He was then denied a clear chance at the far post by a timely interception from Callum Brittain after a flowing Town move had ended with a chipped Sears cross.
Town were looking much the sharper and Sears, teed up by the lively Harrison after a well-weighted Woolfenden ball over the top, blazed wide of the near post in the 19th minute.
Dean Lewington was then on his toes to stop Downes concerting Knudsen’s low cross after another bright move involving Sears.
Ward, who had by now swapped flanks with Edwards, flashed a cross-shot wide after a neat Knudsen backheel. At this stage Town were passing and moving with an urgency largely missing in recent seasons although their next glimpse came from a set-piece, Chambers following up his own wayward header with a volley into a defender’s shins.
Skuse was next to threaten in the 33rd minute, seeing a daisycutter blocked by George Williams after Town’s forwards had pressed home keeper Lee Nicholls into a weak clearance.
Three minutes later MK Dons had their first chance and perhaps the best of the half, Alex Gilbey dragging across goal from an angle after a clever run across the Town backline.
But Town quickly regained control and Harrison headed a yard wide of the near post after an accurate cross by Ward before, moments later, seeing another effort blocked after good work by Chambers.
A wayward Ward effort was the last notable action of a half that, in method if not end product, looked far more closer to the kind of intensity Hurst has been seeking.
MK Dons: Nicholls; Brittain, Williams, Moore-Taylor, Lewington; Pawlett, McGrandles, Gilbey, Houghton, Harley; Agard. Subs: Sietsma, Kasumu, Hancox, Tapp, Jackson, Nesbitt, Muirhead, Sole, Watson, Cisse, Nombe, Asonganyi.
Town: Bialkowski; Spence, Woolfenden, Chambers, Knudsen; Downes, Skuse; Ward, Sears, Edwards; Harrison. Subs: Gerken, Emmanuel, Waghorn, Kenlock, Ndaba, Lankester, Roberts, Dozzell. Ref: Scott Duncan.