Milton Keynes Dons FC, or MK Dons as they are more commonly known were
formed in 2004 as a relaunch of Wimbledon FC, triggering one of the most
controversial actions ever permitted by the FA.
Wimbledon's two Norwegian businessmen, Bjorn Rune-Gjeltson and Kjell-Inge Rokke, announced that they were in dire financial straits after relegation from the Premier League and claimed that attempts to move the club back to Merton had failed.
Wimbledon were tenants at Selhurst Park at the time as they subsequently began to search for a new location for the club. A consortium from Milton Keynes, that included Inter MK Ltd, made it known that they would be prepared to build a new stadium for the club.
Wimbledon approached the FA to sanction the move, and the relocation was eventually authorised by an FA Commission on 28 May 2002. Although there have been club relocations in the UK, there had never been such a relocation of a professional club within the English pyramid system, and this move attracted widespread criticism.
Those who interpreted the League decision as American style "sports franchise" gave Wimbledon the disparaging title "Franchise FC". At the behest of the Football Supporters Federation, the fans of other teams boycotted games against the club and crowds dwindled to non-league levels.
On 5 June 2003, Wimbledon went into administration with debts of more than £20 million. During the summer of 2003, the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes was converted for use as a football stadium, and in September 2003, Wimbledon FC moved into the arena. The full history of Wimbledon FC can be read about here.
In June 2004, Inter MK Ltd, led by chairman Pete Winkelman, brought the club out of administration. Upon buying the club, Winkelman announced that he was changing the name of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes Dons FC.
When the club formally emerged from administration under the new name and ownership on 1 July, Winkelman also announced that he was changing the club's blue and yellow kit to all-white while introducing a new club badge. The new badge bore the letters "MMIV", signifying that 2004 was a new start for the Milton Keynes Dons.
Wimbledon supporters had seen enough by this time and had formed their own club, AFC Wimbledon in the summer of 2002 who can be read about here.
Stuart Murdoch continued in the role of manager after the name change, before being succeeded by Danny Wilson as the side narrowly avoided relegation at the end of the 2004-05 campaign. However, there was no escape in 2005-06 as the Dons dropped down to League Two.
Wilson was replaced by Martin Allen who led the team to the play-offs in 2006-07 where they lost to Shrewsbury Town in the semi-finals. MK Dons negotiated with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association in May 2007 to entrust the trophies and memorabilia belonging to Wimbledon FC to the London Borough of Merton.
It was also agreed to make no claims on the history of Wimbledon FC thereafter. Only then was the MK Supporters Club were given membership of the Football Supporters Federation, such were the feeling of fans from other clubs.
Stadium MK was opened in July 2007 with a capacity of 22,000 as Paul Ince arrived as manager. The former England man took the Dons to the League Two title in 2007-08 as well as lifting the Football League Trophy with a 2-0 win against Grimsby Town with goals from skipper Keith Andrews and Sean O'Hanlon.
Ince departed for Blackburn Rovers with Roberto Di Matteo replacing him. MK reached the 2008-09 play-offs, losing to Scunthorpe United in the semi-finals. Di Matteo left for West Bromwich Albion. Ince returned but only stayed for another season.
Winkelman made the brave decision to bring in Karl Robinson in May 2010 at the age of twenty-nine with little experience. MK Dons lost in the play-off semi-finals in consecutive seasons to Peterborough United and then Huddersfield Town in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
However, Robinson continued to build attractive sides which included former Leeds United man Alan Smith and ex Manchester United starlet Luke Chadwick. The 2012-13 season saw The Dons reach the fifth round of the FA Cup before being defeated by Barnsley.
After a disappointing 2013-14 season Robinson made a plethora of
signings for the new campaign and it paid immediate dividends. MK Dons hammered
Manchester United 4-0 at Stadium MK in the second round of the League Cup.
The team continued to impress and on the final day of the 2014-15 season they overtook Preston North End following a 5-1 win over Yeovil Town to clinch promotion to the second tier for the first time. Starlet, Dele Alli was sold to Tottenham Hotspur.
MK’s spell in the Championship lasted just twelve months, with Robinson moving on in October 2016 to be replaced by Robbie Neilson. The 2017-18 campaign saw the Dons relegated to League Two as Neilson was replaced by Dan Micciche and then caretaker Keith Millen.
Paul Tisdale was recruited as the new manager as he led the team to promotion back to League One at the first attempt in 2018-19. A poor start to the truncated 2019-20 season saw Tisdale replaced by player Russell Martin.
The side improved from nineteenth place to a respectable thirteenth in 2020-21. Martin’s abilities were recognised as he headed off to Swansea City to be replaced by Liam Manning who led the team to the playoffs in 2021-22 thanks in part to the goals of Scott Twine, where they were defeated by Wycombe Wanderers.
Manning was replaced by Mark Jackson in December 2022, prior to the Dons being relegated a few months later. Graham Alexander came in as new team boss lasting just a few months before Mike Williamson arrived from Gateshead. He led his side into the playoffs in 2023-24 where they lost their semifinal tie to Crawley Town.
Milton Keynes Dons FC will play in EFL League Two in the 2024-25 season.
My rationale was that my money would be going to the FA rather than the franchise. I felt that the FA had been disgraceful to allow the move of a football club sixty miles while transferring Football League membership. The fact that the rules had been severely tightened since confirmed it.
My feelings were that something fishy had gone on, especially as two of the three men on the FA hearing were no longer involved in the game. AFC Wimbledon were at least making progress moving up through non-league to try and recapture league status.
Following early shift at work and some T20 cricket on TV I took a bus to Willesden Junction station before connecting to Watford Junction. My train to Bletchley from there seemed to stop everywhere thus scuppering my plan of a couple of pints before the game.
I arrived at 6.35 and with the game kicking off at 7.30, and me not knowing how long the walk was to the stadium prior to having to collect my ticket, so I got a move on. I followed a gang of youths wearing England shirts past the Bletchley town centre such as it was.
A trek alongside a dual carriageway ensued, walking past a housing estate which was hidden behind a wall and many retail outlets. I resisted popping into a Harvester like pub and continued along the main road in the middle of nowhere.
My conclusion was that if you don't have a car in MK, you were stuffed. Apart from football fans I saw two other pedestrians all night. I continued through an underpass and onto more main soulless roads surrounded by light industry.
Some youths cutting across the island in the middle of the road and into an Ikea car park gave me a clue that I was heading in the right direction, but it was as well I saw them as there was not one sign pointing the way to the stadium.
Crowds then slowly built up, so I knew I was getting close. I came to a massive Asda/Wallmark, with the stadium in the distance. Car parks surrounded it with the Marshall Arena built onto the back of the south end, which was home to the MK Lions basketball team and during the C-19 pandemic many years later, the home of snooker.
There were no pubs or housing as far as the eye could see but fans were coming out of Asda clutching food. I thought I was in America. All that was missing was some tailgate parties! I would not live in Milton Keynes if I was paid. Think a larger version of Stevenage for anyone who has been there.
The ticket points were very efficient and in little time I was entering the stadium. No gate staff were present with just a steward looking on as I validated my ticket against a scanner opening the turnstile. Something that would become a norm elsewhere in future years.
The stadium has been built below ground level so when entering you are on a concourse overlooking the whole stadium at the back of the lower tier. I have to say I was mightily impressed. It had cost £50M and was designed by HOC who built Wembley and The Emirates.
The roof appeared to hover over the stands with large gaps allowing natural light and the turf to grow. There were plentiful toilets, made by EMJ Plastics of Filey, refreshments, information booths and bars behind screens to cover the ridiculous law that applied to drinking at football but not rugby or cricket.
The lower tier consisted of a continuous bowl with black seats with high cushioned backrests, while the seats had not yet been added upstairs. This again is a bowl which is only truncated a couple of times in the West Stand for corporate facilities. Every single seat offered a superb view.
The home end was called The Cowshed to try to add some authenticity in a nod towards the city’s concrete cow legacy. A nice touch along its back wall on the concourse was a wall of fame. Fans have their photo displayed on a permanent display for £30. Next to it was a learning centre open during the week for young Dons of the future.
The match itself was too easy for Stuart Pearce's young charges in their last game before the European Championships as they steamrolled their opponents, who tried playing football to the end to their credit in front of a slightly disappointing crowd.
The pleasant stewards used their common sense and let fans sit where they wished after kick-off. The beauty of the continuous concourse allowed everyone to move freely and give me the chance of a good look round.
I thought Pearce was very disrespectful when he sent on substitute goalkeeper, Joe Lewis, as a forward for the last fifteen minutes. England’s goals game from Michael Mancienne, Craig Gardner, Jack Rodwell and a brace from Kieran Gibbs, which were added to when keeper Elcin Sadiqov fumbled into his own net and an Elvin Mammadov own goal.
With ten minutes remaining I headed off to catch a train home as I was back on early shift the next day and I had timed the walk at thirty minutes on the way there. On the way back I used my experience to cut out some of the outlets and walking on grass at the roadside to make it back to catch a delayed train to Watford.
Not a bad night out as my entertainment was accompanied by listening to the Aussies being dumped out of the T20 cricket on the radio as I reflected on the visit and my views towards MK Dons.
There was little doubt that if Milton Keynes wanted a team in the Football League they should have started from the bottom of the pyramid and won the right on the pitch. There had been non-league teams in the past who had gone nowhere within the city.
In 1979 Ron Noades, a hard businessman who made millions out of the game over the years, was then chairman of Wimbledon who entered talks with the Milton Keynes Development Corporation about the possibility of moving Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes.
Noades purchased Milton Keynes City FC, and Wimbledon's directors became directors of that club too. The idea was subsequently abandoned, as Milton Keynes City was sold on. Scarborough's Chairman, Don Robinson tried to buy Halifax Town and relocate them to the coast in 1979.
Thankfully, the authorities stood firm and said no. I suppose it could be argued that Woolwich Arsenal did what MK have done when they shifted from South to North London and changing their name back in 1913.
Having said all that, MK Dons was a blueprint of how to do things properly regarding starting a professional club from scratch with a Football League place. They had got the community onside and have developed a wonderful facility, albeit being in a sterile location in the middle of nowhere.
There was a lot of youngsters and a lot of females in general at the game I was at. However, I still carried the hope AFC Wimbledon overtake them in the League standings as soon as possible! Years later, my wishes would be granted!
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