AFC Wimbledon did themselves proud in their pre-season friendly with Chelsea even if they eventually ran out of steam in their 3-2 defeat, writes John Payne.

However, they also ultimately encountered the mark of a true champion.

No matter that it was a pre-season friendly, at 2-0 down Jose Mourinho probably had visions of his name making headlines in the Sunday newspapers for all the wrong reasons.

His team may have been packed with teenagers and missing an abundance of stars, but that wouldn't stop journalists from adding up the respective transfer values of the two sides.

That meant sacrificing a defender late in the game and pushing Branislav Ivanovic up front.

It has been suggested Chelsea were lucky to win, John Terry coming up with two headed goals, but think how often people have said the same thing in each of Mourinho's stints in charge when Premier League points or Champions League progression have been at stake.

Brian Clough used to insist his teams set out with the same intention to win in a testimonial as a match against Liverpool, which explains why his trophy haul included such nonsense as the Watney Cup, the Anglo-Scottish Cup, the Mercantile Centenary Classic and the Zenith Data Systems Cup.

Like Mourinho, his modern day equivalent, he also won two European Cups, but it is a mantra that seems lost on many modern day managers.

Perhaps Arsenal and Arsene Wenger might not have had an eight-year wait for a trophy had he not appeared to give the domestic cup competitions less priority.

Whatever team Mourinho picks and whatever ground he plays on, he expects to win.

They may not have won the title themselves but their stunning victory at Anfield, more than anything, stopped Liverpool from winning it last season.

A pre-season game at the Dons won't have much to do with whether Chelsea win a trophy this season, but Mourinho’s refusal to accept defeat will.