Wycombe Wanderers’ county rivals have been labelled as a ‘failed football experiment’, following their relegation from League One.
Milton Keynes, a side 36 miles away from Adams Park, saw their four-year stay in the third tier of English football come to an end on May 7 after a 0-0 draw against midtable Burton Albion.
The club, which were founded off the back of the original Wimbledon’s extinction in 2004, needed to beat the Brewers to avoid a final day demotion.
However, their stalemate in the Midlands, along with Cambridge United’s 2-0 home victory over already-relegated Forest Green Rovers, sent the north Buckinghamshire club down.
MK Dons fans not happy! #MKDons #EFL #LeagueOne #BAFC pic.twitter.com/4YbCRS8DiJ
— steve thacker (@redmansteve) May 7, 2023
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After the match at the Pirelli Stadium, several angry MK fans approached the club’s chairman, Pete Winkelman, and expressed their enmity towards his stewardship this season.
In a video that was shared on Twitter, one fan is heard saying that the club was a ‘failed football experiment’, whilst another shouted, ‘You sold us Premier League football’.
Full-Time.
— Milton Keynes Dons (@MKDonsFC) May 7, 2023
MK Dons have been relegated to Sky Bet League Two. pic.twitter.com/HosLwWFDbc
An angry Winkelman responded by saying, ‘What can we do about it? We’ve done it [got relegated] – what can we do? Put it back in the f***ing bottle? Come on!’
As the owner and chairman then left, several MK supporters approached his entourage and explained their concerns, with one saying that the club ‘will die in League Two’.
MK Dons fans after relegation to league 2 😬 #mkdons #mk #bafc pic.twitter.com/KHw3d7rv2L
— Ben Crutchley (@bencrutchleyy) May 7, 2023
Confirmation of their relegation into the fourth tier of English football has also seen manager Mark Jackson lose his job, along with the rest of his staff, with the news being confirmed on May 9 – two days after their relegation.
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club have parted company with Head Coach Mark Jackson.
— Milton Keynes Dons (@MKDonsFC) May 9, 2023
Robbie Stockdale and Aaron Dagger will also depart the Football Club.
MK Dons would like to thank Mark, Robbie and Aaron for their efforts during their time at Stadium MK.
READ MORE: 'We’re really grateful' - Matt Bloomfield on the fans' support in Wycombe's draw
It has been a real decline for MK after finishing third in League One just 12 months ago.
And their relegation to League Two was sealed one day before the first anniversary of Wycombe’s memorable play-off semi-final victory against them last season.
The Chairboys had beaten MK 2-0 in the first meeting on May 5, 2022, but lost the second match 1-0 in Milton Keynes three days later.
Despite the loss on the day, an overall 2-1 aggregate victory in favour of Wanderers sent the Chairboys to Wembley where they would take on Sunderland in the final.
Additionally, Winkelman gave Wycombe the lowest ticket allocation possible for the second leg with around 1,800 being available.
This was on top of the travelling Chairboys being segregated at the top of their 30,500 stadium.
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The owner claimed this would give MK a ‘sporting advantage’.
A lot can change in a year 😎#Chairboys pic.twitter.com/eJ5bCv7EFU
— James Richings (@James_BFP) May 7, 2023
Alas, the tactic failed, and Wycombe’s play-off win started a butterfly effect that sent their county rivals down to the bottom tier of the Football League one year later.
MK's demise has been caused by the sale of their best player in Scott Twine to Burnley, the departure of Troy Parrott who was on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, a terrible start to the season, underwhelming signings, the sacking of their manager Liam Manning.
This means there will be no Buckinghamshire derby in League One next season, but Wycombe can look forward to Thames Valley matches against Oxford and Reading respectively, along with short trips to Stevenage and Northampton.
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