The breakthrough came early, just 11 minutes in, when debutant Daniel Akubuine made an instant impact. His pinpoint cross found James Meadows, who flicked the ball delicately over the onrushing goalkeeper to give Irish a deserved lead. The Akubuine-Meadows partnership almost struck again minutes later, but this time Meadows’ header drifted narrowly wide of the post.

Irish continued to press forward with relentless energy. Shrieves whipped in a dangerous ball for Boyce, who turned smartly but saw his shot bravely blocked by the defense. Shrieves himself then picked up possession on the edge of the area, gliding past a defender before firing just over the bar.

The second goal arrived on 20 minutes, courtesy of a surging run from deep by Wright. After playing the ball out wide to Shrieves, Wright made an intelligent run into the box. Shrieves danced past two defenders and unleashed a low shot that the goalkeeper could only parry into Wright’s path, leaving him with the simplest of tap-ins for his first goal for the club.

Dunstable struggled to escape their own half, and Irish’s high pressing paid dividends again when Meadows won the ball deep in opposition territory. He played in Shrieves, who burst into the box and was taken down clumsily by a defender. The referee awarded a penalty, and although there was debate over the color of the card, only a yellow was shown. Mason Spence stepped up and made no mistake, dispatching the spot-kick with authority to make it 3-0 by the 25th minute.

Despite their commanding lead, Irish didn’t let up. Shrieves embarked on a dazzling solo run, beating three players before being denied by an excellent save from the Dunstable keeper. Meadows then had a golden chance to make it 4 just before the break, meeting a low cross from Shrieves at the back post but failing to connect cleanly from close range.

HALF-TIME: MK Irish 3-0 Dunstable Town

The second half began in much the same fashion as the first, with Irish asserting their control. Shrieves teed up Ryan Smith on the edge of the area, and Smith’s curling effort seemed destined for the top corner, only for the keeper to produce an outstanding save.

Irish extended their lead on 56 minutes with a well-worked team goal. A series of neat passes culminated in Spence delivering a cross into the box. Meadows’ initial effort was blocked, but Callum Hirst was quickest to react, hammering home the rebound to make it 4-0.

Just two minutes later, the rampant Irish struck again. Ryan Smith won possession deep in his own half and quickly played a long ball down the flank to Boyce. Driving to the byline, Boyce delivered a precise low cross into the path of Shrieves, who made no mistake with a simple finish to make it 5-0.

On 65 minutes, Irish completed their scoring spree. A quickly taken corner was worked back to Shrieves, who delivered an inch-perfect cross for Clinton Zawe to rise highest and head into the net for his first goal of the season.

With the game effectively won, Irish continued to search for more. Shrieves came close to adding his second, flashing a shot just wide of the post after another incisive run. A raft of substitutions allowed the home side to rest their key attacking players while giving others a chance to maintain the pressure.

Dunstable, already demoralized, offered little resistance in the closing stages as Irish saw out the game comfortably, ensuring a clean sheet for Ladyman on his return to the side.

FULL-TIME: MK Irish 6-0 Dunstable Town

Goalscorers: Meadows (11’), Wright (20’), Spence (25’ PEN), Hirst (56’), Shrieves (58’), Zawe (65’)

Man of the Match: Rev Kalek