Marvin Ekpiteta headed the second-placed Dons in front on the half-hour after an even start to the Easter Monday clash at Boundary Park.

After goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray made a superb save to deny substitute Josh Hawkes from a corner, it looked as though MK Dons were on course for their first win in four games.

But play-off chasing Oldham kept probing, and Hawkes’ right-wing cross was expertly headed in by Mike Fondop to rescue a point for the hosts.

Warne said: “I think a draw was a fair result. However, when you’re leading with only seven minutes left, whatever the case may be, you’re obviously disappointed you haven’t come away with all three.

“But I think it’s a difficult place to come, the crowd get right behind the team, it felt like a play-off game, both sets of players were exhausted at the end. They both gave everything.

“We probably didn’t have as much quality on the ball as we’d possibly like. But that’s fair play to Oldham, they came after us, they made it difficult, so generally, I’m pleased.

“I know how the results have gone, but a point away from home at the in-form team in the league, I did think on the fixture front ours looked the hardest on paper, so to get through this weekend and still be in second, I’m pleased.”

The result leaves MK Dons second in the table on goal difference, ahead of Notts County, while Oldham – who have lost just once in 13 league games – are three points adrift of the play-offs with five games to go.

“It was a hard-fought game,” said Oldham boss Micky Mellon.

“In the first half we never got enough contacts up front, never picked enough knockdowns up to get any ascendency to go up the pitch, but it was still a pretty even game.

“We were disappointed with the goal we gave away because we lost two or three contacts and the boy was able to dab it in.

“We didn’t think we were doing enough up there.

“But in the second half, certainly, we changed the shape to get into them a bit more and it worked for us and we probably just ran out of time in the end.

“The second game in three days is always tough and the players gave me everything, and we managed to get the equaliser eventually. It’s a terrific goal and I was delighted to see it go in.”