History of AFC Wimbledon

AFC Wimbledon is an English association football club in London, which currently competes in Football League Two. The club was formed in May 2002.
Formation
On 28 May 2002, the Football Association backed a three-man independent commission decision to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate 56 miles north to the new town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire after claims from Wimbledon chairman Charles Koppel that such a move was necessary in order to prevent the club from going bankrupt as Norwegian owners Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten had been subsidising the club at a rate of £6 million per year. The motivations behind the move were that property development consortium 'Inter MK' led by businessman Pete Winkelman sought to bring an established Football League club to Milton Keynes as well as a large retail park in order to accelerate the town's expansion. The Commission's deliberations had begun on 14 May 2002 at which time Wimbledon fans began a vigil outside the Football Association headquarters in Soho Square, London. The commission members chosen by the FA were media solicitor Raj Parker; Steve Stride, who was then the Operations Director at Aston Villa and Alan Turvey, a member of the FA Council and then Chairman of the Isthmian League. On 28 May 2002, the commission reached the decision to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate to Milton Keynes with Parker and Stride voting in favour of the move whilst Turvey dissented. The principle involved in the relocation was unprecedented in English football; by moving in such a way, Wimbledon F.C. were cutting all ties with the area of Wimbledon. Although Wimbledon F.C. were unable to physically move to Milton Keynes for over a year, their traditional local support dried up almost immediately in protest.
The commission went on to recommended in their report that "resurrecting the club from its ashes as, say, 'Wimbledon Town' is, with respect to those supporters who would rather that happened so that they could go back to the position the club started in 113 years ago, not in the wider interests of football." This statement did nothing to deter loyal supporters of the club and on 30 May 2002, a mere two days after an FA commission had reached the unprecedented decision to allow the relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes, a band of Wimbledon supporters led by Kris Stewart, Ivor Heller, Marc Jones and Trevor Williams publicly unveiled plans to create a new club dubbed "AFC Wimbledon" at the Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association (WISA) annual general meeting at the Wimbledon Community Centre. The plans to resurrect football in Wimbledon were met with the unanimous approval of over 1,000 fans after a vote had been cast by members.
On 31 May 2002, Ivor Heller (the newly appointed commercial director of AFC Wimbledon), met with businessman and owner of Kingsmeadow stadium in Kingston upon Thames, Rajesh Khosla, to agree a deal to share the lease of the ground with local Isthmian League Premier Division club Kingstonian at an initial cost of £20,000 per season. On 13 June 2002, Wimbledon Football Club Supporters Society Limited also known as "The Dons Trust" (a democratically elected supporters' group created on 10 February 2002 by 1,200 Wimbledon fans in the New Wimbledon Theatre) held a meeting at the packed out Wimbledon Community Centre in order to announce that AFC Wimbledon Limited would be 100% owned by AFCW PLC, which in turn was to be placed under the ownership of The Dons Trust, which pledged to retain at least 77% control of that ownership in order to ensure that the aims and ethos of the supporters would always be represented and that no major decisions could be made without the explicit consent of majority vote by Trust members. In the same meeting, a new club crest (designed to replicate that of the original Wimbledon Football Club as far as possible) and pre-season kit (to be produced by Umbro) were revealed to the media and it was formally announced that former Wimbledon defender Terry Eames would become the club's new manager.
On 10 July 2002, AFC Wimbledon Commercial Director Ivor Heller announced that a £100,000 sponsorship deal had been secured with computer game developer Sports Interactive, creator of the hugely successful Championship Manager series. In order to assemble a competitive team at such short notice, AFC Wimbledon held player trials on 29 June 2002 on Wimbledon Common, open to any unattached player who felt he was good enough to try out for the team. The event attracted 230 players, from whom the club's squad for their inaugural season was chosen.
Non-League football (2002-2011)
The Combined Counties League years (2002-2004)
The 2002-03 season represented the first for the newly formed club and former Wimbledon F.C. player Terry Eames was appointed as AFC Wimbledon's first manager on 13 June 2002. The club competed in the Combined Counties League Premier Division. The new team attracted a crowd of 4,657 supporters for their first ever game, a pre-season friendly against Sutton United on 10 July 2002 in which they were beaten 4-0. Such was the elation of some fans in still having a team to support in their local community that they invaded the pitch in celebration at the end of the match in spite of the defeat. Glenn Mulcaire, known as "Trigger" by fans, scored AFC Wimbledon's first ever goal in a pre-season friendly against Bromley on 17 July 2002, which ultimately ended as a 2-1 defeat. Kevin Cooper scored the team's first ever league goal in the first game of the season in a 2-1 away victory at Sandhurst Town, with an attendance of 2,449 on 17 August 2002. The first home game of the season against Chipstead, ending in a 2-1 defeat on 21 August 2002, had an attendance of 4,142. Their average home attendance at league fixtures exceeded 3,000 - higher than the average attendance in the same season of Wimbledon F.C., who were still playing in the First Division (now the Football League Championship). The team went on to finish as champions of the Combined Counties League, with an unbeaten record for the season, consisting of 42 wins and 4 draws. AFC Wimbledon became the only club in England at any level to maintain a perfect league record for the 2003-04 season. Promotion to the Isthmian League First Division was therefore assured, and the club even completed a double by winning the league's Premier Challenge Cup after beating North Greenford United 4-1 in the Final on 30 April 2004. The Dons took part in the FA Vase for the first and only time, reaching the Fourth Round before succumbing to Colne, losing 2-1 on 17 January 2004 in front of a crowd of 3,215, the highest recorded attendance in the competition that year other than at the final.
The Isthmian League years (2004-2008)
Dave Anderson was appointed as new manager on 11 May 2004. Under his leadership AFC Wimbledon took their good form into the 2004-05 season during which they competed in the Isthmian League First Division — they led the division all season, and ran away with the title to seal promotion to the League's Premier Division. The Dons took part in the FA Cup for the first time, reaching the Second Qualifying Round but ultimately losing 2-0 to Conference South side Thurrock on 16 October 2004. The club also competed in the FA Trophy for the first time, reaching the First Round before being beaten by Isthmian League Premier Division side Hendon 3-0 on 6 November 2004. On 5 March 2005, the Dons recorded their 100th league win following a 1-0 victory over Molesey. The Dons secured another double by defeating Walton & Hersham 2-1 in the Final of the Surrey Senior Cup on 3 May 2005. Over the course of the season, AFC Wimbledon set a new record for the longest run of unbeaten league games at any level of senior football in the United Kingdom. The team remained unbeaten for 78 league matches between 22 February 2003 (a 2-0 defeat at home to Withdean 2000) and 4 December 2004 (a 2-0 defeat at Cray Wanderers).
The 2005-06 season proved far more competitive than previous seasons - as after winning their first few games, AFC Wimbledon found themselves struggling to remain in the play-off places. After fluctuating form they eventually reached the play-offs after a 1-0 win against Anderson's former club, Hendon, on 22 April 2006. However, a 2-1 defeat at Fisher Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off semi-final on 2 May 2006 prevented the club from achieving three back-to-back promotions. The Dons once again reached the final of the Surrey Senior Cup, however, this time they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Kingstonian in a fiercely contested derby.
Much of the 2006-07 season was overshadowed by the threat of a proposed 18-point deduction by the FA for the club's fielding of Jermaine Darlington who, it transpired, had not been registered correctly by the club as he required 'international clearance' in order to be transferred from the Football Association of Wales to the Football Association of England and had therefore played in three games whilst still ineligible. However, this punishment was eventually reduced to a 3-point deduction and a £400 fine on appeal after the FA finally acknowledged that the club had made a simple administrative error. The 'Darlington affair' also resulted in expulsion from the Surrey Senior Cup and the FA Trophy that season. Had they not been disqualified, the Dons would have reached the Third Round of the FA Trophy having beaten Gravesend & Northfleet 1-0 on 13 January 2007 and the Final of the Surrey Senior Cup having beaten Metropolitan Police 2-1 on 23 January 2007. The Dons did improve on their previous record in the FA Cup however, reaching the Fourth Qualifying Round before ultimately losing to then Conference National side Exeter City 2-1 on 28 October 2006. Although AFC Wimbledon did enough to qualify for the play-offs, they once again missed out on promotion, this time as a result of losing 1-0 to Bromley in the play-off semi-final on 1 May 2007. Manager Dave Anderson subsequently left the club by mutual consent on 2 May 2007.
Terry Brown was appointed as the new AFC Wimbledon manager on 15 May 2007. During 2007-08, he led the club to promotion to the Conference South in his first season in charge, a feat which predecessor Dave Anderson had proved unable to achieve, having lost two consecutive play-off final opportunities in the previous two seasons. The Dons made steady progress throughout the season, qualifying for the play-offs after finishing third in the League. AFC Wimbledon beat AFC Hornchurch 3-1 in the play-off semi-final on 29 April 2008 and went on to triumph 2-1 over Staines Town in the play-off final on 3 May 2008, scoring both goals in the last ten minutes of the match through a headed effort by Luis Cumbers and a curling strike by Mark DeBolla.
The Conference years (2008-2011)
AFC Wimbledon spent most of the 2008-09 season near the top of the league table, eventually finishing as champions and earning promotion to the Conference National after defeating St Albans City 3-0 on 25 April 2009. The match set an attendance record of 4,722 for Kingsmeadow, which at that time was full capacity. The same season AFC Wimbledon reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time on 10 November 2008, in which they were defeated 4-1 by then Football League Two side Wycombe Wanderers. Striker Jon Main ended the season as league top scorer with 33 league goals and was named as Conference South Player of the Year. Terry Brown was awarded the honour of being named Conference South Manager of the Year, having achieved back-to-back promotions.
The 2009-10 season was the club's first in the Conference National, in which they finished 8th, 14 points short of the play-off zone. This was the first season in which the club had failed to make the top five in the league table. In December 2009, Terry Brown was awarded the honour of being named Conference National Manager of the Month and Seb Brown completed a clean sweep for AFC Wimbledon when he was named as the Conference National Player of the Month. Lewis Taylor scored the fastest league goal of the season after just 36 seconds of play in a 5-2 win over Forest Green Rovers on 10 October 2009. The club also had their first taste of competing in an FA Cup South London derby when they were drawn to play Football League Championship side Millwall in the First Round on 9 November 2009. Millwall proved to be too strong to handle however, and the Dons were soundly beaten 4-1.
In 2010-11 AFC Wimbledon finished as runners-up of the Conference National and qualified for the play-offs. Sammy Moore scored the division's fastest league goal of the season after just 11 seconds of play, in a 5-2 win over Mansfield Town on 5 October 2010. The Dons faced Fleetwood Town in the play-off semi-finals, whom they thrashed 8-1 on aggregate. The Dons won 2-0 in the first leg and thrashed Fleetwood Town 6-1 in the second on account of a hat-trick by Kaid Mohamed, who scored the first of the trio after just 27 seconds of play. This aggregate scoreline set a record as the largest winning margin recorded since the Conference National first introduced the play-off system at the beginning of the 2002-03 season. In the play-off final at the City of Manchester Stadium on 21 May 2011, in front of a crowd of 18,195, AFC Wimbledon beat Luton Town 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had ended 0-0 in extra time. Former club captain Danny Kedwell scored the winning penalty. The victory resulted in promotion to the Football League for the first time and represented the club's fifth promotion in nine years. To mark the end of a successful season goalkeeper Seb Brown, defender Sam Hatton and striker Danny Kedwell were awarded the honour of being named in the Conference National 'Team of the Year'.
The club's achievement of attaining League status after just nine seasons of existence is considered to be the fastest such ascent for a new club since automatic promotion to the Football League first commenced in the 1980s. AFC Wimbledon also hold the record of being the first club to be formed in the 21st century to make it into the Football League.
Football League (2011-present)
League Two (2011-present)
The club currently competes in Football League Two.
In the first game of the 2011-12 season, on 6 August 2011, former club captain Jamie Stuart scored AFC Wimbledon's first ever Football League goal in a 3-2 defeat against Bristol Rovers. The team started the season well, winning seven out of their first twelve matches, but failed to keep the momentum going and had a poor run in which they were unable to win a game in twelve matches before eventually finishing the season ranking 16th, ten points clear of the relegation zone. The Dons managed to keep just six clean sheets in the entire season, only Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers kept fewer in all of the Football League. The club took part in the Football League Cup and the Football League Trophy for the first time. In the former competition the Dons were knocked out in the Preliminary Round, losing 3-2 to Crawley Town. In the latter competition, however, the club fared significantly better, reaching the area quarter finals before ultimately losing 3-1 on penalties to Swindon Town after the match finished 1-1 in normal time. The club's average attendance for its first season in the Football League was 4,295, considerably exceeding the 3,135 of the original Wimbledon F.C.'s own first season in the League. Striker Jack Midson ended the season as joint-top scorer in League Two with 18 league goals in total.
The 2012-13 campaign marked the 10th anniversary of AFC Wimbledon's inaugural season. The club got their campaign off to a poor start when they lost their first away game 6-2 at Burton Albion on 21 August 2012, setting a record as the biggest losing margin suffered by AFC Wimbledon in the Football League to date. The four goal deficit continued the very next game in a 5-1 drubbing away at Bradford City, totalling 11 goals conceded in just 2 games, the highest goal tally ever conceded by the Dons in consecutive matches. After an abysmal start to the season, consisting of just 1 win in 7 league matches, manager Terry Brown was sacked on 19 September 2012 along with assistant manager Stuart Cash, with AFC Wimbledon sitting just above the relegation zone. Having spent 5 years, 4 months and 4 days in charge of the club, Brown currently holds the record of being the longest serving AFC Wimbledon manager to date. It was announced that first team coach Simon Bassey would take over as caretaker manager with immediate effect. Bassey was in charge just four matches before former Wimbledon player Neal Ardley was appointed as Terry Brown's permanent replacement on 10 October 2012, naming former Watford and Cardiff City teammate Neil Cox as his assistant manager. On 2 December 2012, AFC Wimbledon faced Milton Keynes Dons in the second round of the FA Cup, in the first ever meeting between the two sides following the controversial uprooting and relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes. The game, played at Stadium mk, ended with a decisive injury time goal for the home side, with a final score of 2-1 to the MK Dons. A crowd of 16,459 attended the match, 3,200 of whom were AFC Wimbledon supporters. The squad fared badly during the first half of the season, winning just five games between August and December. The club improved considerably in the new year however, remaining unbeaten in January and losing just 7 of their fixtures between then and the end of the season in April. On 13 April 2013, AFC Wimbledon broke their previous highest crowd attendance record at Kingsmeadow when 4,749 turned out to see a 2-2 draw with Exeter City. The Dons secured their Football League status on the final day of the 2012-13 season, despite having started the day in the relegation zone, by beating Fleetwood Town 2-1 at Kingsmeadow on 27 April 2013. At the final whistle, such was the elation of the 4,581 AFC Wimbledon fans present that they descended on to the pitch to celebrate with the squad.

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