The Brentford man made the move in 2023

Brentford midfielder Paris Maghoma has revealed he still gets abuse from AFC Wimbledon supporters after he joined MK Dons on loan in 2023.

The 24-year-old spent the first half of the 22/23 season in south London playing in League Two before he was recalled by his parent club. Keen to see him play at a higher level, Maghoma’s options were with MK Dons or with fellow relegation strugglers Cambridge United.

Opting for a move to Milton Keynes, Maghoma made 20 appearances for Mark Jackson’s side, netting a dramatic late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Lincoln City, but was unable to help keep Dons up, ironically at the benefit of Cambridge.

Becoming a regular at Bolton Wanderers the following season, Maghoma made 10 appearances for Brentford, including eight in the Premier League, last term.

Maghoma is not the first player to have made the switch, with Brennan Dickenson, Tennai Watson and Henry Lawrence having done so, while Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Connal Trueman of the current squad having made a similar move.

But two-and-a-half years removed from his move between the fierce rivals, Maghoma said he still receives abuse from AFC Wimbledon fans for accepting a loan move to Milton Keynes.

“I got a lot of abuse for it, it was terrible… I still get abuse for it now,” he told Brentford’s website. “To be honest, I didn’t realise what I’d done was so crazy.

“I was just trying to progress in my career; it wasn’t to annoy anyone or rub anyone up the wrong way.

“I wanted to take the step into League One, I wanted to test myself and play in a higher league. When I got called back in January, I had no idea where I was going to go and that wasn’t really in my control. It ended up being either Cambridge United or MK Dons, they were the only two teams.

“I had to weigh up what team suited me more, both were in the relegation zone, but MK Dons liked to play football, and that’s what both Brentford and me decided would be best.”

Suffering relegation, Maghoma admitted, was a painful experience for him, especially after the dramatic season finale at Burton. The midfielder was visibly distraught at the full-time whistle, and recalled the final day dramatics.

He continued: “In our last game, we played Burton Albion, we had 37 shots, and we couldn’t score one goal, that’s all we needed to stay up.

“I had a chance in the final minute and the ball literally zinged just past the post, but, again, that was another learning curve for me.

“It was difficult and it hurt, you bond with everyone, it was a great bunch of guys.”