MK Dons brushed aside fellow promotion hopefuls Newport 3-0 at Stadium MK.

First-half goals from Dan Kemp, Jack Payne and Alex Gilbey handed the home side a comprehensive victory.

Victory saw the Dons close to within three points of the automatic promotion places, while Newport lost ground on the play-offs after suffering a second defeat in 10 matches.

MK Dons made a bright start and took the lead after 12 minutes as a passing move took them into the area and Kemp steered a low shot past Nick Townsend.

The hosts doubled their advantage 10 minutes later. A free-kick routine caught Newport out as Payne exchanged passes with Kemp, charged into the box and scored.

Gilbey grabbed a third just before the half-hour, receiving Stephen Wearne’s cut-back and rolling a shot home.

Newport goalkeeper Townsend made further stops to deny the Dons an even more commanding lead as his team-mates struggled to mount any sort of response, while Kemp and Ellis Harrison each had strikes disallowed.