Lots of pundits blither on about the perceived notion of FA Cup romance - the desire to see the underdog trump the big gun, the prestige of the world's oldest knockout competition and, of course, the eventual moment when a team (usually one of the top 6 in the Premiership) lifts the unmistakable FA Cup trophy to mark victory.
There hasn't been too much of this in recent years - the big guns are more interested in taking the Champions League, while smaller fish are either more interested in staying in the Premier League or getting into it.
This has led to a few surprise upsets in recent years as big guns' weaker sides get upset by a hungrier lower competitor but its all to play for in the early stages as the non-league teams try to hold out and land the biggest fish.
The draw has presented some such chances - one of non-league sides Harrogate and Hastings is going to be in Round 3 - but one tie between league opposition, normally ignored at this early stage, has caught attention if only for the implications and the recent history behind it.
Provided they win replays, we could be about to see AFC Wimbledon travelling to take on Milton Keynes Dons, the team who replaced the old Wimbledon FC in 2004.
This is not a tie AFC Wimbledon wanted. They still hold the view that MK Dons represent the Football League-supported annihilation of the old Wimbledon FC and that such franchising is not for the good of the game - a view shared by a lot of the footballing community.
There is certainly ill feeling amongst the supporters of AFC Wimbledon ahead of a prospect of meeting the side that is legally seen as the continuation of Wimbledon FC. They maintain their view that MK Dons, as an entity, should not exist and the club should still be based in south west London or they should not have automatically started in the Football League place vacated by Wimbledon.
10 years have passed since the formation of AFC Wimbledon and they still have a massive ill-feeling to the new club, to the point where they tried to convince the new team to drop the "Dons" name earlier this year, saying that it reminds them of the incidents that saw their club relocate. This move was rejected at the time by the club and by Milton Keynes Council, although further talks are likely in 2013.
It doesn't take too much understanding of the history of the move to understand why Wombles are angry. They view that the Football Association colluded to make a move that wasn't beneficial and feel that their club was stolen. While AFC Wimbledon have made incredible progress since their formation and admission into the football league system, this will obviously not have dulled the fires amongst the South West Londoners.
In contrast, the MK Dons supporters aren't so bothered. Their fans certainly feel excited to take on the fans club. They also hold the view that Wimbledon were deserted by their fans when their club was sliding into bankruptcy and that such an extreme move was required to stop them imploding.
This circumstance is certainly what led to Wimbledon's decline into administration and eventual move in 2003. AFC Wimbledon certainly feel touchy about this viewpoint but it is hard to see any other potential end to what happened to Wimbledon when everything building up within the club threatened to destroy them whether they moved or not.
It is not that clear about whether or not the move has succeeded - at first fans seemed turned away and disinterested, but the new team has begun gradually gaining local support in a new stadium (albiet not quite to full capacity yet) and consistent placing at the top of League One.
In any case, this circle of hatred has led to massive ill-feeling by Wombles towards the Dons, to the point where they do not want to take the Milton Keynes side on. The club's board admitted as such, saying that they would go ahead with the fixture despite their admission they do not want such a fixture to take place. There is already talk amongst their supporters of a refusal to travel up the M1 to the New City, although it appears a small contingent is likely to travel.
The Milton Keynes team are certainly more interested in such a game taking place than their counterparts are. Manager Karl Robinson was quoted as "dancing in his front room" when he heard the draw on Sunday afternoon and chairman Pete Winkleman is also excited at the prospect. They recognise that they need to get through their replay first, but they obviously understand that such a tie would be big sporting news.
Anticipation is high amongst those outside the two clubs for a meeting, although the vast majority of neutral supporters are likely to cheer on the "wronged fan-powered underdog" against the "franchise". Some fans seem like they could provoke the possibility of violence beyond the almost-certain poor taste chanting that such a fixture will be accompanied with, assuming any turn up, and the game will be massive.
It will almost certainly likely to make television picks for either ITV or ESPN. Certainly press coverage from those same pundits would consider it a further tale of cup romance if AFC Wimbledon won, as it would be viewed as a fan triumph over the bloated mess of modern football.
To outsiders of the sport and a reasonable portion of people who support neither, it could be interpreted as "just another game", and certainly a lot of fans would be prepared to just ignore the politics and see that is just a game with a potential money-spinning game against a big team.
Of course, there is also the factor of Cambridge City and/or York City upsetting the apple cart and ensuring this fixture does not happen. But all the same, whether we like it or not, such a tie would have added emotional baggage and the perception of modern vs old football is all set to be given a physical outing rather than a topic for column arguments.
No comments:
Post a Comment