AFC chief will snub Winkelman if he does not drop Dons name

AFC Wimbledon chief executive Erik Samuelson today called for Milton Keynes to drop the word Dons from their name as the sides prepare for their first meeting since the latter’s controversial birth.

He spoke out after MK Dons beat Cambridge City 6-1 in an FA Cup replay last night to set up a second‑round tie with AFC in Buckinghamshire on December 1.

In September 2003, after Wimbledon had gone into administration, the Football Association allowed a consortium led by Pete Winkelman to move the club 50 miles north and nine months later he renamed them MK Dons.

Outraged Wimbledon fans launched AFC in response and have since been promoted five times to reach League Two.

Winkelman remains as MK chairman and Samuelson said: “If he offers me his hand, as long as it’s got a letter in it saying they agree that what they did was wrong and that they will drop the name Dons, I’ll shake it. Otherwise I think we’ll just move on. I think it reminds them and everybody of how they originated. They don’t have much to do with Wimbledon.

“I’m not going to agitate for it, I think it would be the better thing to do but that’s for them to decide.”