When Wimbledon fans decided to form their own club in protest at the Dons' move to Milton Keynes, a Football Association commission said their plans "were not in the wider interests of football".
Eight years on and AFC Wimbledon can dream of promotion to the Football League as they head into Saturday's home game with Bath City top of the Blue Square Premier.
AFC Wimbledon are a club built on anger and disenfranchisement but manager Terry Brown makes it clear they see their success as a victory for the common supporter.
Entirely fan-owned and run in part by a team of 250 volunteers they achieved four promotions in seven seasons to stand one rung below the Football League. They finished eighth last term, and the decision to go full-time this summer is paying off.
They are now just 43 places behind the MK Dons in the League ladder, and Brown voices the outrage that the club still feel about the events of 2002.
"Wimbledon were sold down the river by the Football Association, and we are trying to get back what is rightfully ours," he said.
"Whoever said AFC Wimbledon wasn't in the wider interests of football' should be eating a large amount of humble pie. What we are doing is for the benefit of fans, which has to be in the wider interests of football. We don't want a benefactor to come in and tell us what to do — the fans decide our future, and that is one of the things I love most about this incredible journey."
Around 1700 fans pay £25-a-year to be a member of The Dons Trust, which elects a board of nine that rules on all major changes at the club.
Most football decisions, such as signings, are made by a smaller committee. Money is tight, as shown by Brown's recruitment strategy with a core of senior players supplemented by young talent.
"Most of the players we look to bring in still live at home with their mums," said Brown.
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"Apart from a few senior players you couldn't afford to have a wife and a mortgage on what we pay but we tell these kids that they can be Football League players, and they can achieve that with us.
"Whatever we do has to be sustainable. We are trying to rebuild this club, and part of that process is to move back to Merton, Wimbledon's home. We are very settled in Kingston-upon-Thames but we want to move back to SW19, and the aim is to return as a League club.
"We have a much smaller budget than Luton and Crawley Town — but with the magic of football, who knows?"
If they did go up, then AFC would be a step closer to playing MK Dons in the ultimate grudge match.
But Brown said: "I think the feelings are still too raw for us to play them. There's too much bitterness still there, and it wouldn't be good for our club if that game happened soon — let's hope it's three or four years down the line.
"If and when we do get back to the League I'm sure every proper football fan will rejoice with us."
