The 10th anniversary of the Glazer family’s takeover at Old Trafford may almost be upon us, but it is also a decade since a group of disaffected Manchester United supporters elected to break away and form their own club.

Ten years and four promotions later, FC United of Manchester (FCUM) stand within sight of Sky Bet League Two, the fourth tier of English professional football. So much for those who thought that the rebels’ fury would fizzle out.

The Glazers’ leveraged buyout of United may have been the tipping point for Andy Walsh, FCUM’s general manager, and his cohorts, but their resentment of the way the modern game was developing, with ever-increasing ticket prices and ever-changing kick-off times, had been building for some time before