There were a nice few minutes after AFC Wimbledon’s draw at Mansfield Town on Saturday.

The Dons’ charismatic striker Adebayo Akinfenwa was mobbed by youngsters wanting his autograph and selfies with the big man.

But this wasn’t Wimbledon fans surrounding one of their heroes – it was Mansfield fans wanting a piece of “The Beast”.

I’m sure this won’t be the first time Akinfenwa has got that kind of attention from opposing fans. He is one of the most recognisable figures in League Two and by sheer size is impossible to miss.

But for a player to be making youngsters’ days just by being generous with his time was a heartwarming throwback to the days when football was the sport of the people.

Many footballers at all levels interact with the fans, but getting an autograph book filled with big name players has never been harder.

With high security around team coaches and many players sporting ridiculous oversize headphones to make themselves even more untouchable, contact between the man in the street and their heroes has become increasingly fleeting.

It’s a far cry from an era when Chelsea players could beat the fans back to the pubs in Mitcham after home matches – in the days when their training ground was where Tooting & Mitcham’s ground now stands.

Not withstanding the fact they now train in the rather more salubrious surroundings of Cobham and live in gated mansions most people dream of, could you imagine that happening now?

You only need to occasionally read The Secret Footballer in the Guardian to know the contempt in which players – and that author in particular – hold fans.

It is to AFC Wimbledon’s credit that – as a fan-owned club – they have gone to the other extreme and ensured players’ responsibility to supporters goes way beyond what happens on the pitch.

The players may be the focus of the game but without the fans, it wouldn’t be much of a spectacle.