Wimbledon

Wimbledon FC

Ground: Plough Lane

Capacity: 15,876

Club Founded: 1889

Club Dissolved: 2004 - Relocated to Milton Keynes to become Milton Keynes Dons

The story of Wimbledon FC of southwest London is a warning to all supporters of what can happen when success attracts owners the club could well do without.

Club History

Early Years

Formed in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central FC and playing on Wimbledon Common, the club played in local football. In 1905, they dropped ‘Old Central’ from their name to become Wimbledon FC, although the change didn't bring much luck, as they folded owing to financial difficulties in 1910.

Reforming a year later as Wimbledon Borough, the club reverted to Wimbledon FC within a few months, and moved into Plough Lane in 1912. The club joined the Athenian League in 1919 and then the Isthmian League two years later. The 1930’s were to see many great triumphs at Plough Lane. 

Three Isthmian League titles were secured and in 1934-35the club reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup for the first time. In the showpiece, Wimbledon were defeated 2-1 by Bishop Auckland in a replay at Stamford Bridge. A fourth consecutive Isthmian League crown was added the following season.

Wembley Winners and FA Cup Giant Killers

The Dons' second Amateur Cup Final came in 1946-47. This time it was Leytonstone who triumphed 2-1 at Highbury. Three more Isthmian League wins followed, with 1962-63 becoming a double as the Amateur Cup was finally lifted with a 4-2 victory over local rivals Sutton United at Wembley. 

An eighth Isthmian League title was claimed in 1963-64 before Wimbledon turned semi-professional and joined the Southern League. In 1974-75 they embarked on an incredible FA Cup run. After reaching the third-round proper, they travelled to top-flight Burnley and pulled off an astonishing 1-0 win. 

My drawing of Plough Lane, along with former Wimbledon team kits.
Click on the images to enlarge them.

Elected to the Football League

Their reward was a trip to Elland Road to take on reigning league champions Leeds United. Incredibly, their keeper Dickie Guy pulled off a penalty save from Peter Lorimer as Wimbledon drew 0-0. The replay was moved to Selhurst Park, where a crowd of over 40,000 saw Leeds go through with a deflected goal. 

The success helped spur the club on as they lifted three consecutive Southern League titles under the guidance of Allen Batsford, leading to election into the Football League to replace Workington for the 1977-78 season. Batsford resigned to be replaced by a young Dario Gradi, who led The Dons to promotion in their second season as a league club. 

Ron Noades and a Proposed Move to Milton Keynes

Their spell lasted just one season before they were relegated back to Division Four. In 1979, chairman at the time, Ron Noades, tried to do a deal with the Milton Keynes Development Corporation to relocate Wimbledon there. He and his directors even bought out non-league Milton Keynes City FC as part of the plan. It was never fully executed. 

Noades was a man who, over the years, owned Southall, Crystal Palace, Brentford, as well as Selhurst Park and the land where Imperial Fields, the home of Tooting Mitcham United, would later be built. Moving a football club lock, stock, and barrel, apparently held no fears for him! Noades bought Crystal Palace and moved on in 1981, taking Gradi with him. 

The Dave Bassett Era

The Dons won promotion once more under former player Dave Bassett but couldn't prevent another relegation in 1981-82. However, his appointment was to prove a master stroke. He built a powerful team mixing experience with players who’d been released from bigger clubs and the club's youth system. 

This led to consecutive promotions. After just two in the second tier, the team, with no star names but an unbelievable fighting spirit, won promotion to the top flight of English football. Many people tipped the ‘Crazy Gang’s stay to be a short one, but they were in for a big shock. 

FA Cup Winners

Bobby Gould took over from Bassett, after being appointed by madcap Chairman Sam Hammam. Wimbledon beat Liverpool in the 1987-88 FA Cup final in a game many pundits predicted would be the most one-sided ever. It was one of the greatest cup shocks of all time. 

The team didn't get to compete in European competition because of the ban on English clubs after the Heysel disaster. The side were not always popular with their high-tempo football mixed with some physical tactics, which they claimed bullied opponents. 

Players such as John Fashanu, Vinnie Jones, Nigel Winterburn, Dennis Wise, Alan Cork, Warren Barton, and Dave Beasant were certainly no shrinking violets, but they could play as well. Many moved on for large transfer fees. The club unveiled plans for a new all-seater stadium in Merton, but nothing came of it. 

The Move to Selhurst Park

New managers came and went before it was announced that Plough Lane was beyond development for top-flight football following the Taylor Report's findings after the Hillsborough disaster. Instead, they moved to Selhurst Park to become Crystal Palace's tenants.

Joe Kinnear took over as manager as the Wombles, as they were sometimes called, came sixth in the Premier League, their highest ever finish. Hamman had investigated plans to move the club to Dublin, but was stopped in his tracks before he sold the club to a Norwegian consortium. Home support was never massive at Selhurst Park.

Kinnear resigned in 1999 due to ill health, before Egil Olssen and then Terry Burton had time in charge before the club was relegated in 1999-00. In the following two seasons, they just missed out on the playoffs before Burton was controversially sacked.

Relocation to Milton Keynes

It was announced in 2001 that the club, under the chairmanship of Charles Koppell, were looking at relocating to Milton Keynes. This was met with widespread protest from fans. This time, the owners won, whilst the fans would have their club stolen from them in what is considered to be the most disgusting development in the history of English league football. 

The Dons spent one last season under Stuart Murdoch in London. They went into administration and moved to Milton Keynes, retaining the club's name. At this point, AFC Wimbledon was formed by the vast majority of fans who wanted nothing to do with "Franchise FC" as their old club was being dubbed. 

In their first season at the National Hockey Stadium, all players were sold by the administrator as the club was relegated. The club was taken out of administration by Pete Winkelman at the end of the season. The construction of Stadium MK started soon after, as the team name was changed to Milton Keynes Dons, who played in all white, with a new crest.

MK Dons

Unbelievably, they listed Wimbledon's honours as their own. The Football Supporters Federation successfully demanded they be returned to their home in the London Borough of Merton in compromise for accepting MK Dons fans and calling off their appeal for all fans to boycott the club's fixtures.

It is a very sorry tale of a very decent old club becoming too ambitious, with some very dubious business taking place involving owners and businessmen, and at least one local council. 

My visits

Wimbledon 1 Hull City 4 

Division Three - Saturday 7th April 1984

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 4,495

It wasn't until I reached secondary school in 1977 that Plough Lane hosted League Football. My first visit to the top-of-the-table clash came about because I was at college at Boreham Wood, just north of London, at the time. I met up before the game with friends in the newly formed Hull City Southern Supporters Club, whose first-ever meetings I attended. 

The Tigers sprang a huge surprise with a 4-1 victory, which led to me gracing the turf in celebration at the end. Dave Beasant let a soft shot from Brian Marwood under his body after just 15 minutes as City went ahead. Andy Flounders doubled the lead just before the break, and Gareth Roberts made it three just after. A Billy McEwan penalty after 62 minutes made it 4-0, with a late consolation from Glyn Hodges.

Those of us in the away end even gave an ironic cheer when Wimbledon scored their late consolation. The irony would later come home to roost as the club missed out on promotion by one goal to Sheffield United after an agonising evening in Burnley, the Thursday after the other games had finished.

We were located in the away Wandle End, which was a steep bank of open terracing with segregation down the middle. The ground was a ten-minute walk from Wimbledon Park tube station and slightly longer to Wimbledon station. 

Wimbledon 3 Hull City 1 

Division Two - Saturday 26th April 1986

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 5,171 

The Tigers and the Dons faced each other again in the old Second Division. Wimbledon were on their way to promotion to the top flight despite many of their home attendances being around 4,500. They were a good side who pummeled City on this occasion. The only changes since my previous visit were high fences around the edge of the pitch. 

I had the consolation of a good drink with the City fans at the Alexandra pub near Wimbledon station before the game. Wallace Arnold took a coach to the match from Scarborough, which doubled up as a shopping trip for those who fancied it. Our drivers got the hump when we refused to take the tube from the West End.

Andy Flounders netted City's consolation goal on a lovely afternoon as the City fans sang "He's the famous Bobby Doyle, and he's off to Mexico"; half in jest and mainly in admiration of the tough Scottish midfielder.

Further calls

In 2005, I went to watch a greyhound meeting at the nearby Wimbledon Stadium, which wasn't on as I got the wrong night! I walked back to the nearest National Rail station at Haydons Road along Plough Lane to be greeted with a high fence surrounding the site where the stadium once stood. 

A supermarket company bought the land but failed to gain planning permission to build there. I could just see the sorry-looking flattened wasteland through a chink in the fence.

October 2020

I went past Plough Lane a couple of times within a fortnight on walks during the pandemic, primarily to take a look at the new Plough Lane Stadium, on the site of the former Wimbledon Stadium, famous for greyhound, speedway and stock car racing. It was demolished before a new arena was built as a home to AFC Wimbledon.

My walks continued further up the road, to where at least a modest monument commemorates the former home of the Dons on the corner of Durnsford Road and Plough Lane outside the opulent blocks of flats.

The pictures of the former Plough Lane stadium on this page have been taken from the internet.