Troy Parrott’s fantastic strike earned MK Dons a 1-1 draw at bitter rivals AFC Wimbledon that moved them three points clear of third-placed Rotherham in the League One promotion race.

The result was of more use to them than their relegation-threatened hosts, who led for most of the game through captain Alex Woodyard’s goal, although they closed the gap between them and safety to three points.

Wimbledon took a precious lead in the 19th minute after the visitors had failed to clear Nesta Guinness-Walker’s free-kick as a mishit effort by Woodyard trickled into the net.

The pressure from MK Dons built as the second half wore on, with Wombles goalkeeper Nik Tzanev making a good save from Mo Eisa’s shot across goal.

But there was nothing he could do with 10 minutes left when Dean Lewington picked out Parrott, who crashed in a fantastic volley off the underside of the bar from a tricky angle.

The hosts rallied from this and almost snuck a winner when Ethan Chislett’s stooping header was blocked by MK Dons goalkeeper Jamie Cumming.