Abedayo Akinfenwa: MK Dons meeting an 'incentive' for Wimbledon
Friday 27 May 2016 13:16, UK
Adebayo Akinfenwa admits the chance to find themselves on a par with MK Dons will drive AFC Wimbledon in their League Two play-off final against Plymouth on Monday.
It is now 14 years since fans of the former Wimbledon FC - which later became MK Dons - largely stopped following the club in protest at their move more than 50 miles away.
In the weeks that followed, they came together to form the current incarnation and entered the ninth tier of English football.
Now, with the prospect of reaching the third after a series of promotions, getting there would also see them play league football against the club their foundation arose from for the first time.
The teams have already met three times, with MK Dons winning FA Cup and League Cup ties before Wimbledon won a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie last season - with Akinfenwa scoring the winner.
While some Wimbledon supporters would rather look forward, the feelings from an acrimonious split remain raw for others.
That is something striker Akinfenwa is aware of and he told the FL72 Podcast: "I never had (any) malice to MK Dons before I got here, but you can't help but vibe off the energy of our fans.
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"It hurts in their soul and you can't help but embody that. To be playing in the same league as MK Dons, it is an incentive to anyone affiliated with this squad.
"That's going to push us on Monday, from the manager, the players, the fans.
"To have the carrot at the end of the game, the icing on the cake to know we could be playing them in a league game is a beautiful thing."
Akinfenwa has scored seven goals this season, including the strike which forced extra-time against Accrington in the semi-finals before Lyle Taylor's goal gave Wimbledon an aggregate win.
Whether that is enough for the former Swansea player to start against Plymouth is unclear, with the 34-year-old racking up almost as many substitute appearances in 2015/16.
Akinfenwa - nicknamed 'The Beast' due to his larger-than-normal frame - concedes getting a positive result is more important than his own role in the game.
He added: "You know what? If I start I start, if I come on I come on. It's got to a point where this game is bigger than any one player.
"Whatever happens, happens. As long as AFC Wimbledon get the result. I've found it difficult initially. I had a lot of talks with the gaffer, I wasn't used to sitting on the bench.
"It was a process, it was hard for me, I had to get my mind right. I had to work harder, pray harder, but I have said that there shouldn't be one player bigger than the team.
"As much as it was hard and I was biting my tongue and giving the gaffer a few dirty looks, the team comes first."
