If the announcement that Kingstonian are looking for a new home was designed to piggyback into AFC Wimbledon's FA Cup tie with Liverpool it didn't really work, writes John Payne.

While 1988 was relived over and over again ahead of Monday's Kingsmeadow showpiece, few people spared a thought for the original owners of the ground – a club with a proud FA Cup heritage of their own.

Quite properly Wimbledon’s rise from the ashes earned the plaudits on a night when Liverpool only prevailed because of a virtuoso performance from their soon-to-depart talisman Steven Gerrard.

But what about Ks who, as recently as 2001, hosted Bristol City in the replay of a momentous FA Cup fourth round tie on the ground originally built in the late 1980s?

Former Ks owner Rajesh Khosla landed a vast windfall for his asset-stripping by selling Kingsmeadow to AFC Wimbledon and from that day on, Ks have not been masters of their own destiny.

No-one could seriously claim AFC Wimbledon’s has been good for Ks. A club that attracted crowds of around 1,000 for home games in their Conference days now struggles to get a couple of hundred at best.

Now that Wimbledon have apparently entered into negotiations, which could see Chelsea buy the ground for use by their development and women’s teams, Ks’ lack of self-sufficiency is being brought home to roost.

It begs the question about what happened to the covenant on the ground which was supposed to ensure that Ks could still play there should Wimbledon’s plans to return to Plough Lane come to fruition.

Co-chairman Malcolm Winwright alluded to the fact a 5,000-seater stadium was too big for Ks’ needs and that a search for a new ground was already underway, but it is hard to see how that could be cost-effective.

It feels like sink or swim, but AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea – should they buy Kingsmeadow – have a responsibility to ensure Kingstonian aren’t sold down the river a second time.