The award of the Wimbledon 'franchise' to MK Dons has long troubled football fans and fortunately the experiment has not been repeated. Wimbledon fans formed their own successful phoenix club which is in a higher division. But MK Dons have had trouble filling their 30,000 stadium. For Saturday's game they offered free admission and managed to attract 23,465, an attendance record, Their highest average attendance was 13,000 in the Championship in 2015/16, but this season it has been around 7,500. The problem is that it still looks like an artificial club in an artificial city. Many local residents have existing affiliations to London clubs. The city is accessible by good train services. Milton Keynes has its attractions as a place to live, but how far do residents identify with it? Building a fan base will take time.
The new independent football regulator could launch its first significant action after the troubled Lancashire club Morecambe appointed a senior executive who has been banned by Guernsey’s financial authorities for involvement in a fraudulent investment fund. Steve Dewsnip, 59, was appointed by Morecambe as their chief operating officer on February 19. The announcement came only days before the club were handed a transfer embargo by the National League for failing to comply with its financial rules. Dewsnip was director of a company which collapsed in 2016 leaving investors £37m out of pocket. It was subsequently found guilty of conducting a fraudulent Ponzi scheme. In August 2024 the Guernsey Financial Services Commission banned Dewsnip from involvement in a regulated entity. Morecambe had hoped that last August's takeover by Punjab Warriors would end a difficult time for the Shrimpers who are fighting relegation from the National League. They had been pre...