A Unique Rivalry

This afternoon, I went to Stadium:MK to witness a piece of footballing history. It was the FA Cup 2nd round, and if you knew nothing of football, you would look at the tie and wonder why on Earth MK Dons vs AFC Wimbledon is the most grizzly of rivalries. One team play in the 3rd tier of English football situated in Milton Keynes and the other plays in the 4th tier of English football, over 60 miles away in the capital city. They are not geographical rivals. They are not league rivals. So why do they despise each other?

10 years ago, the "old" Wimbledon were toiling. Their Norwegian owners had jumped ship, they had been relegated from the top-flight and financially struggling. They had spent the previous 13 years ground-sharing with Crystal Palace and without any assets, (such as their own stadium), they were going to go out of business. This was until a man called Pete Winkelman turned up. He had located Milton Keynes, with its National Hockey Stadium, as a potential new venue for the team, and after the FA granted them permission, Mr.Winkelman took Wimbledon out of Wimbledon and moved them 60 miles up north to Milton Keynes, re-naming them Milton Keynes Dons. For business, this was a good move. In fact, it saved the club, but some of the Wimbledon fanbase were furious. They supported their local team, and seeing it taken away from them was nothing short of scandalous. You see, a lot of people support their local team, and it means a lot to them. Going to cheer them on every Saturday afternoon, in the whole country, is an important part of a lot of people's lives. To have that taken away, I imagine, is painstaking.

So, without a club to support, the fans that were left behind set up their own team. AFC Wimbledon. They had to start at the bottom, in the Combined Counties League, (which is the same sort of standard to the one I reached as an Assistant referee - That's how low down they ended up!), and have since fought their way up through the divisions and now sit just one division below the team that they claim stole their identity in the first place. They were drawn together in the FA Cup about a month ago, and I bought tickets as soon as they came on sale. This was not a tie to be missed.

When we finally reached the stadium, roughly 15 minutes before kick off due to heavy traffic, we got to our seats and immediately saw a swarm of yellow and blue in the away end. Despite claims that some Wimbledon fans had boycotted the match, claiming they didn't want to give income to a club that stole theirs, there were over 3,000 fans who clearly had other ideas. A sea of noise hit us and you could feel the anger and frustration in the chants. As the first whistle sounded, the Wimbledon fans began their chanting:

"You know what you are! You know what you areeeeee! You thieving bas***ds! You know what you are!"

I was quite relieved we were sitting quite a distance away, safely concealed in the middle of the East Stand, closer to the die-hard Milton Keynes fans, who were giving their best in retaliation to the Wimbledon fans!

"You know what you are! You know what you areeeeee! [Something Unrepeatable]! You know what you are!"

I know... Football fans aren't the most imaginative of people... Even so, the tension was palpable. The game itself didn't really get going for a long time, and the time only passed quickly because of the taunts between the two sets of fans, with the families and neutrals sat in the middle of the two sets of diehards, as if we were the referee in the middle of a boxing bout. Usually, I'd call the chanting "banter", but this felt different. There was anger in those chants. The air was full of genuine hatred. This feeling was only increased on the arrival of a small plane, with a banner trailing from it's rear that read, "WE ARE WIMBLEDON!", which caused cheers of derision from the away sector followed by boos and shouts from the home fans as they realised they were being taunted for the actions of 10 years ago. The chants continued to be thrown from both sets of supporters, until the brink of half-time, when MK Dons midfielder Stephen Gleeson let fly with a thunderbolt from 30 yards that rattled into the top corner of the net. All of a sudden, the Wimbledon fans fell silent amid chants of, "Who are ya!" from the MK Dons contingent. Even I got involved in that one!

At the start of the second half, the Wimbledon fans were just as hushed as they had been at the end of the first half. It seemed that goal had knocked the wind out of their sails, and although there were still discreet chants aimed towards the Milton Keynes "franchise" (as they called it), you could tell they were slightly consigned to defeat. They were the strong underdogs after all.

This was until the 59th minute of the match, where Wimbledon made pretty much their first attack of the whole game. A cross from the right was met with a diving header by Wimbledon attacker Jack Midson and as the ball rattled into the corner of the net, I heard groans around me followed swiftly by the sight of 3,000 Wimbledon fans going absolutely mental. By "mental", I don't mean 'jumping around, being happy'. I mean, there was absolute carnage. Midson ran into the away fans, who were climbing down from their seats, in some cases from many rows up, and crowded the pitch in a display of complete and utter madness. It didn't last long. The stewards got a grip and with the help of their own players, they were ushered back into the stands, but it was obvious they had been waiting for that moment for 10 long years.

From then on, Wimbledon were in the ascendency. They had a couple of chances, urged on by their reinvigorated supporters, who's chants towards the Milton Keynes fans had started up again, and increased in volume, with no reply from a shocked and nervous MK Dons stand. A disallowed goal for Milton Keynes only increased the taunting from the Wimbledon fans and as the game neared a conclusion, we were all considering a replay of this ugly yet somehow devilishly fascinating encounter. I can only imagine how the brave fans from Milton Keynes who would have made that journey would have been treated. Towards the very end, Wimbledon had a glorious chance to snatch the tie after a defensive error, and I for one am glad they didn't score. I cannot imagine the mess there would of been had they netted a last-minute winner. The Wimbledon fans went from a near feeling of bliss to a feeling of heartbreak however, because of an outrageous 90th minute winner from Jon Ostemobor of MK Dons. He nonchalently flicked the ball over veteran goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, (who played for the original Wimbledon back in the day) and the Milton Keynes fans went wild. Some even attempted to copy their counterparts by bursting on to the pitch, but this was literally a group of about 10 cretins, who were quickly thrown back into the crowd by the more aware stewards plus the chorus of boos from their own fans. Not long after, the full-time whistle sounded and we were legging it to the car, wanting to avoid the matchday traffic leaving the stadium.

It was a cracking afternoon, and possibly the most intriguing encounter I have ever been to as a football fan. I was a neutral, of course. I genuinely didn't mind who won. I seem to feel less strongly than some other fans, some of which claim that MK Dons shouldn't even exist, which I find a little harsh. However, the afternoon as an experience was excellent. I usually enjoy the banter between the two sets of fans, but this afternoon, it seemed to go to the next level. It is hard to explain to a person who doesn't follow football how much Wimbledon despise the "franchise" of MK Dons. It seems to be a popular opinion amongst football, but Milton Keynes Dons, being the highest of the teams local to me, I find it difficult to hate them completely. I can certainly understand why Wimbledon fans are unhappy at their existence, but at the end of the day, they are just another club. And although for 10 years, Wimbledon were down in the duldrums of non-league football, they are now nearing the big time, and they do completely deserve it.

I think I'm going to Old Trafford on Boxing Day. Man Utd vs Newcastle, (which always seems to be the fixture when I head to the "Theatre of Dreams"), but I'm pretty sure it won't live up the unique hype that was served up for us today. It was an unexampled contest, that we may not see again for a long time. Or then again, we might see it again next season. You just never know in this sport.