This will be sweet for all at AFC Wimbledon
They were formed out of the ashes of their former club when it was moved to a different city. Created by disillusioned fans who had seen their childhood club ripped from its roots and placed in Milton Keynes instead.
They’ve risen through the leagues at an astonishing rate since their inception in 2002, gaining promotion to the Football League for the first time in 2011, remaining there despite a minuscule budget and eventually reaching League One in 2016.
The 2016/17 season saw them finally face off in league action against their former selves, MK Dons, just 13 years after they were created.
Almost 16 years on, AFC Wimbledon have today confirmed their safety in League One, meaning that next season will see them play in a league higher than MK for the first time in their short history.
FULL-TIME: Doncaster 0-0 #AFCW. Dons stay up and a third season in League One confirmed! Get in!
— AFC Wimbledon (@AFCWimbledon) May 1, 2018
Their place in next season’s League One was confirmed on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw with Doncaster Rovers left them mathematically safe, four points above the relegation zone with one league game remaining.
MK’s relegation to the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 2008 was confirmed at the weekend after a 2-0 defeat to Scunthorpe, much to the delight of AFC Wimbledon supporters.
Few would have been quite as happy as former Crazy Gang star Vinnie Jones, who said “good riddance” when asked by talkSPORT how he felt about their demotion.
“The name is minging isn’t it. It’s absolutely minging. They should change it to Milton Keynes Relegation Proprietors,” were his choice words on the subject.
While most supporters will rightly be more focused on their own success rather than MK’s failure, there will no doubt be a feeling of vindication in the knowledge that you don’t need to move a club 45 minutes away to achieve meaningful, long lasting success.
