It is probably not being over-dramatic to say that, without their loan signings, AFC Wimbledon would not have retained their Football League status last season.

Between them, Terry Brown and Neal Ardley borrowed a remarkable 14 players from other clubs during the course of the campaign.

Indeed, Ardley has already said that on his arrival he bided his time before the loan window opened because he knew the squad he inherited wasn't good enough to keep Wimbledon in League Two.

Wimbledon were far from being the only club to benefit from the system – the most high profile being Watford, who borrowed 11 players from Udinese and only missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the season.

The Football League has already acted to prevent Watford from repeating the process next season. Foreign players will now be included alongside their domestic counterparts among the five loan players clubs are allowed to field in their matchday squad.

But it is still open to abuse. Many people, justifiably, think Peterborough United were desperately unlucky to drop out of the Championship, having played some attractive football and gone down with a record points tally.

But, at the same time, they benefitted from three loan players Darren Ferguson secured from his dad Sir Alex’s Manchester United. That kind of help was not afforded to Peterborough’s rivals.

I am sure Barnet, who dropped out of the Football League at Wimbledon’s expense, are far from impressed that the Dons have failed to secure the permanent services of John Sullivan and Jon Meades, both players who played pivotal roles in the final day victory over Fleetwood.

As Dons first team coach Simon Bassey said: “It is swings and roundabouts – if you use the loan system right, it can work well for you.”

With the success Wimbledon have had using the loan system, you can’t blame Bassey for indicating they will use similar methods again next season.

But the system stinks. It allows big clubs to stockpile the best talent and pawn their young or unwanted players out as it suits them.