There is arguably nothing more frustrating for a football fan than enduring a delayed kick-off – especially for a clash against your rivals.
But that was the fate suffered by both sets of supporters in the Dons derby, contested between Wimbledon and MK Dons after the latter's team coach was stuck in traffic. Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes.
Wimbledon vs MK Dons kick-off delayed by 15 minutes
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Why was the kick-off delayed?
Essentially, the game was delayed due to the MK Dons team coach being stuck in traffic and arriving late to the stadium. Originally, the fiery clash between the two sides was set to commence at 12:30, but the delay saw that time pushed back by 15 minutes until 12:45.
A brief history of the Dons derby
The beginnings of MK Dons as a club are incredibly controversial and are the foundation for the entire rivalry between the two teams.
A rivalry between the pair was born in 2002 when the owners of Wimbledon FC relocated the club to Buckinghamshire and rebranded the organisation as MK Dons. In response, die-hard Wimbledon FC supporters created their own club, AFC Wimbledon, and began life as a non-league side.
Eventually, AFC Wimbledon worked their way through the divisions and first entered the football league in 2011. Given that they were only formed in 2002, it is particularly impressive that they currently hold the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches in English football, having played 78 consecutive league games without defeat between 2003 and 2004.
Bad blood has existed between the two fanbases ever since the initial split in 2002 and still continues to be an incredibly fierce rivalry to this day.
An important game
With that intense rivalry in mind, this match was particularly important for Wimbledon fans as MK Dons came into the game just four points adrift of the top spot in League Two.
Planning on putting a spanner in the works for their rivals, the home crowd will be hoping that the delay doesn't hamper the atmosphere at Plough Lane.
Ronan Curtis celebrates late winner in the pub
After scoring a last minute winner against rivals MK Dons, Wimbledon player Ronan Curtis has been enjoying himself in the pub 🕺
Love this 😅#afcw
— FanHub (@FanHub) March 2, 2024
Fortunately for Wimbledon fans, that wasn't to be the case and the combination of home advantage mixed with pure grit and determination from the home side saw 22-year-old Ronan Curtis bag a 94th-minute winner to secure derby day victory for AFC Wimbledon.
Understandably, Plough Lane erupted into celebration, and those party-like scenes continued until well after the final whistle. In fact, Curtis himself has actually been pictured celebrating the win with Wimbledon fans in the pub – what a time to be alive, eh?.
Wimbledon now sit just four points adrift of sixth-placed Walsall at the time of writing, with a favourable home tie against Grimsby Town up next.