A former Wimbledon star defender has thrown his weight behind the Drop the Dons campaign and insisted that the former club died when it was sold off and moved to Milton Keynes.

Chris Perry, an England under-21 international footballer who spent eight years playing for Wimbledon FC as a centre back, said the creation of MK Dons was personally deeply upsetting for him and his family.

Mr Perry said: “I grew up in a family where we all supported Wimbledon.

"My great-grandmother used to go watch them in the 1900s to watch the team “My family were devastated when the club died and them having the nickname Dons is a constant reminder of that.”

The Carshalton-born former footballer, who also played for Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton, said dropping the Dons would be a positive step for Milton Keynes football fans as well as Wimbledon’s new team, AFC Wimbledon, which is ten years old this year.

“Milton Keynes is a great town that deserves its own team, but it shouldn’t have taken someone else’s – they should have started at the bottom like AFC Wimbledon have had to do.

“People who don’t follow football might not appreciate that the team is at the heart of the community; if it dies that affects everyone.

"That's why this campaign should be supported by football fans everywhere, not just Wimbledon supporters."

Click here to sign the petition for MK dons to DROP THE DONS!