The mechanism behind MK Dons dropping the Dons from their name is, in essence, pretty simple.

In order to Drop the Dons, MK must get prior written consent from the Football Association council – the non-executive board of the FA made up of 92 elected representatives, from the Premier League, the Football League and County FAs, and chaired by David Bernstein.

To get this, they must make an application to the Football Association before April 1 for the council to consider it for adoption in the following playing season.

The final decision will then lie with the council, who will decree whether or not the name can be changed.

There is recent precedent to it, with Stevenage dropping the Borough from their name in 2010.

But one obstacle could be the short time in which MK will have to make its decision, with less than three months before the deadline to apply to the FA.

Should they wait until the outcome of the town’s bid for city status – which could see them add City to their name – it could be too late, with the decision expected some point in the first half of this year, meaning it may not be before April 1.