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[[File:WimbledonFACup1988.png|thumb|Wimbledon players celebrate after winning the [[1988 FA Cup Final]]]] |
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Revision as of 20:37, 30 June 2009
It has been suggested that Crazy Gang and Talk:Wimbledon F.C.#The Crazy Gang be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2009. |
Wimbledon F.C. crest | |||
Full name | Wimbledon Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Dons; Wombles; The Crazy Gang | ||
Founded | 1889 (as Wimbledon Old Centrals) | ||
Dissolved | 2004 (became Milton Keynes Dons)[1] | ||
Ground | Wimbledon Common Plough Lane Selhurst Park National Hockey Stadium | ||
Capacity | 15,876 (Plough Lane) 26,309 (Selhurst Park) 8,000 (National Hockey Stadium | ||
League | Last league was Division One | ||
Final season 2003/04 | 24th (Relegated) | ||
|
Wimbledon Football Club were an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Centrals, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before a rapid ascent to the top flight of English football in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Wimbledon stayed in the First Division and then the FA Premier League from 1986 until 2000. Most famously, in 1988, Wimbledon beat the then-champions Liverpool 1–0 in the FA Cup final, thus becoming only the second football club (after Old Carthusians) to have won both the FA Cup and the FA Amateur Cup, having won the latter in 1962–63.
Following the publication of the Taylor Report, which recommended that all top-flight clubs play in all-seater stadiums, the club decided that they needed to move from their Plough Lane home in 1991. Wimbledon began to groundshare with local rivals Crystal Palace, an originally temporary arrangement that ended up lasting over ten years. In May 2002, after considering a variety of new sites, the club were granted permission to relocate 56 miles (90 km) north to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. The move away from south London was deeply unpopular both with the majority of the club's established fan base and football supporters generally. The majority of supporters[2][3] responded to the planned relocation by forming a new club, AFC Wimbledon. Wimbledon moved in September 2003, and became Milton Keynes Dons in June 2004.[1]
History
Non-League beginnings
Wimbledon Old Centrals Football Club were formed in 1889, taking their name from the Old Central School on Wimbledon Common where players had been pupils. The club's first match was a 1–0 victory over Old Westminsters, and it only took seven years for success to come to Wimbledon as the club won both the Clapham League and the Herald League in 1895–96. Wimbledon won the Clapham League again in 1900–01, as well as two minor trophies. A meeting was convened on 1 May 1905, and the decision was taken to drop "Old Centrals" from the club's name — the club became Wimbledon Football Club, and under their new name the club won the South London Charity Cup the same year — however, excessive debts caused the club to fold in 1910. The club were restarted year later under the name Wimbledon Borough, though "Borough" was dropped from the club's name after barely a year. The club continued to play on Wimbledon Common and at various other locations in the Wimbledon area until 1912, when they moved to Plough Lane. Wimbledon joined the Athenian League for 1919–20, and in their second season finished as runners-up.[4] The club then joined the Isthmian League. Winning four Isthmian League titles during the 1930s, and reaching FA Amateur Cup final in 1934–35, Wimbledon began to prosper. The club reached another FA Amateur Cup final in 1946–47, and finished as runners-up in the league twice over the next few seasons. Wimbledon won the Isthmian League for the fifth time in 1958–59 before starting a period of domination that saw three successive championships — 1961–62, 1962–63 and 1963–64. Wimbledon also lifted the FA Amateur Cup in 1962–63, and following these successes the decision was taken to turn professional for 1964–65, and to enter the Southern League. Wimbledon had continued success in their new league, finishing as runners-up in their first season.[4]
Wimbledon became nationally famous during a spectacular FA Cup run during 1974–75. Entering the competition at the First Qualifying Round, they saw off Bracknell Town, Maidenhead United, Wokingham Town, Guildford & Dorking United, Bath City and Kettering Town to find themselves in the third round proper. They then became the first non-League team that century to beat a First Division team at their own ground, when they defeated Burnley at Turf Moor in the third round. In the fourth round their form continued, as they held the reigning First Division champions Leeds United to a 0–0 draw at Elland Road. Goalkeeper Dickie Guy saved a penalty from Peter Lorimer to earn a replay, which was narrowly lost 1–0 by an own goal in front of over 40,000 spectators at Selhurst Park. After winning the Southern League three times running, Wimbledon were elected to the Football League in place of Workington in 1977.[4]
The Football League
1977–78 was a satisfactory Football League debut for Wimbledon, who finished 13th in the Fourth Division.[4] Allen Batsford had resigned as manager on 2 January 1978 to be succeeded by Dario Gradi, who guided the club to promotion in 1978–79.[4] Wimbledon's first stay in the Third Division was not a successful one. They struggled and were relegated in bottom place, winning just 10 league games all season, after losing key players Les Briley and Ray Lewington.[4] Following relegation, relocation to Milton Keynes was considered — chairman Ron Noades entered talks with the Milton Keynes Development Corporation about the possibility of moving the club to the new town, but the plan was never executed.[5][6]
Still in south London, 1980–81 saw Wimbledon regain their Third Division status at the first attempt, at the end of an eventful season which saw chairman Ron Noades walk out of the club to take over Crystal Palace, and then bring manager Dario Gradi to Selhurst Park with him.[4] At Plough Lane, assistant manager Dave Bassett was promoted to manager. Under Bassett, Wimbledon were relegated in 22nd place.[4] Just before the survival battle was lost, injured defender Dave Clement committed suicide.[7] Wimbledon once again regained their Third Division status at the first attempt, triumphing as Division Four champions in 1982–83, and in the next season they continued to excel as they achieved a second promotion to Division Two after finishing runners-up with 97 goals in the Third Division.[4] Dave Bassett accepted an offer from Ron Noades to take over at Crystal Palace at the end of the season, but four days later changed his mind, having never signed the contract, and returned to Wimbledon.
1984–85 was Wimbledon's first season in the Second Division, and everyone at the club was prepared for long and hard struggle to preserve this status. A 12th place final finish was more than satisfactory for a club who were playing at this level for the first time, and were only in their eighth season as a League club.[4] The next year started well for Wimbledon as they beat Middlesbrough 3–0 on the opening day of the season, and were soon looking like promotion contenders. Promotion in third place was sealed on the final day of the season with a victory over Huddersfield Town. Thus, Wimbledon had reached the First Division, only four years after playing in the Fourth Division and nine years after being elected into the Football League.[4]
The Top flight
Many observers tipped Wimbledon to go straight back down in 1986–87, but after losing the first game of the season away at Manchester City, they won their next four games to perch atop the league table on 1 September. They eventually finished sixth, before Dave Bassett moved on to Watford.[4] His successor was Bristol Rovers manager Bobby Gould. Dubbed "The Crazy Gang" because of the eccentric behaviour of their players, fans and chairman, Sam Hammam, their greatest moment came in 1988 when, very much against expectation, they won the FA Cup, beating overwhelming favourites Liverpool 1–0, with a goal from Lawrie Sanchez. 37,000 Wimbledon fans witnessed captain Dave Beasant become the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final, stopping John Aldridge's shot.[8] The only downside of this triumph was the fact that they would not be able to compete in the European Cup Winners' Cup, as the ban on English teams from European competition following the Heysel Stadium Disaster was still in operation at this time.[9]
Just days after the FA Cup triumph, the club's directors announced plans to build a new all-seater stadium in the club's home borough of Merton. In the season following the FA Cup triumph, Gould steered Wimbledon to a secure 12th place finish in the First Division, and in 1989–90 they finished eighth.[4] Despite these successes, Bobby Gould was replaced by Ray Harford in 1990, who in the same year as Wimbledon's FA Cup triumph had guided Luton Town to victory in the League Cup. Under Harford's management, Wimbledon had another strong season in 1990–91, finishing seventh.[4]
Nothing came of the plans for a new ground and at the end of 1990–91 the club's board decided that Plough Lane was beyond redevelopment to meet the new FA rule requiring all-seater stadia.[10] Consequently, the club moved to Selhurst Park before the 1991–92 season, ground-sharing with Crystal Palace. Harford suddenly resigned in October 1991, to be replaced by Peter Withe. Withe lasted until just after the turn of the new year, when Joe Kinnear was promoted from the role of youth team coach, initially taking over as interim manager. After guiding Wimbledon to 13th place in the First Division and booking their place in the inaugural FA Premier League,[4] Kinnear got the manager's job on a permanent basis.
1992–93 began as a struggle for Wimbledon, who were third from bottom on Boxing Day. However, they recovered well in the new year and finished 12th.[4] The next season was one of Wimbledon's best season's to date as they finished sixth in the Premier League and reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup.[4] Wimbledon remained hard to beat in 1994–95, finishing ninth in the league.[4] 1995–96 saw a drop to 14th.[4] Wimbledon made a fine start to the 1996–97 campaign — after losing their first three fixtures, they proceeded to win their next seven and reach the summit of the Premier League. There was delight in early February when they eliminated Manchester United from the FA Cup — Wimbledon reached both the FA Cup semi-finals and the semi-finals of the League Cup. Wimbledon's last hope of a debut in European competition now lay with their challenge for a top-five league finish, but they could only manage eighth.[4]
Decline and relocation
1997–98 looked highly promising for Wimbledon as late on as Christmas, as they were regularly in the top five. However, their form in the second half of the season was less impressive, and they dipped to 15th place in the final table — their lowest finish yet in the top flight.[4] A similar pattern followed in 1998–99 — a good start followed by a slump. As late on as mid-March, Wimbledon were on the fringe of a UEFA Cup place. The signing of West Ham United striker John Hartson boosted hopes of success for Wimbledon, but a terrible run of form in the final weeks of the season saw them dip to 16th in the final table.[4] They had again reached the League Cup semi-finals that season, but bowed out to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur.[4]
Joe Kinnear stepped down as manager in June 1999 due to ill-health, and was succeeded by Norweigan coach Egil Olsen. Olsen's first season began with much ambition but ended with much grief. With John Hartson leading their attack, fans were confident that the club could finish much higher this season, and possibly challenge for honours. A strong challenge came in the League Cup, where Wimbledon reached the quarter-finals. Wimbledon's league form had slowly deteriorated in the second half of the season, and Olsen had left in early May with relegation now looking a real threat. Long-serving coach Terry Burton took over,[11] but on 14 May 2000, 12 years to the day after the FA Cup win, Wimbledon were relegated from the top flight after a 14-year stay due to their 2–0 defeat at Southampton. A shock 1–0 win for fellow strugglers Bradford City over Liverpool sealed relegation for Wimbledon.[4]
Burton remained manager of Wimbledon for two seasons in Division One until he was controversially sacked at the end of 2001–02 after the club had narrowly missed out on the promotion play-offs two seasons in a row.[4] At the end of that season, the move to Milton Keynes was announced. AFC Wimbledon were founded in response to this, and much of Wimbledon's support flocked to the new club.[2][3][12] Goalkeeping coach Stuart Murdoch was promoted to manager.[13] As attendances plummeted,[14] Murdoch's team finished tenth during the last full season at Selhurst Park.[4] Wimbledon entered administration in June 2003,[15] and the relocation went through in September.[16] Although crowds improved at the club's new base, the administrator sold any player who could command a transfer fee and Murdoch's team finished bottom.[4][17] The club were brought out of administration at the end of the season,[18] and subsequently rebranded as Milton Keynes Dons.[1][18]
Move to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon's success in the top-flight of English football was founded on unorthodox financial management and judicious dealings in the transfer market.[12] The club's average attendances were generally amongst the lowest in the Premier League, and comparable to a good second tier side, but sound management and an outstanding football academy meant that the club had remained competitive, and had enjoyed a long period of stability and relative success at the top level of English football. However, with inflation in costs, the club began to lose money heavily.[12] The club's original owners felt that they could restore the club to profitability if they could be allowed to move it away from London entirely to a more profitable location.[12] News of the scheme aroused much anger from a majority of supporters, but Dublin, Belfast and Cardiff were still considered as potential new locations.[2]
A move of this type (in terms of distance) was unprecedented in English football. Many of the club's fans saw the move as akin to the American sports "franchise" system, a concept unknown in English football; the traditional view of a football club is that it is an important part of the community and local fabric, rather than simply a business. The proposed move was opposed in most quarters — not merely by a majority of the club's fans and fans of many other clubs who held sympathetic views, but also by both the Football League, whose committee voted unanimously to reject the move, and the Football Association. Following the Football League vote, the owners of the club appealed against the decision to the the Football Association, who established a three-man commission to reconsider the request.[19][20] The commission ruled in favour of the move, and consequently on 28 May 2002 the FA reluctantly gave permission for the club to relocate to Milton Keynes. The then-Chief Executive of the FA, Adam Crozier, said that although the FA had to abide by the decision of the three-man commission, they did not believe the move was a good thing for the game. Crozier publicly stated that he personally felt it was an "appalling decision".[21] The affair caused Wimbledon F.C. to be nick-named pejoratively as "Franchise F.C.".[2]
Many of the club's fans, angered at the prospect of a move, founded their own club AFC Wimbledon, in 2002.[12] AFC Wimbledon enjoy sizeable support from former Wimbledon fans.[2] 2002–03 was Wimbledon's last full season at Selhurst Park. With most fans now following AFC Wimbledon instead,[2] the average attendance at Selhurst Park fell to around the 1,500 mark — the majority of those being away fans.[14] As attendances at AFC Wimbledon rose above those at Wimbledon, the club were forced into administration.[3][15] The first match in Milton Keynes was played on 27 September 2003 — a 2–2 draw with Burnley at the National Hockey Stadium.[16][17] After Wimbledon finished bottom of Division One,[4][17] the club were brought out of administration by the InterMK consortium, led by Pete Winkelman.[18] The club had originally stated that the name "Wimbledon" would remain in place regardless of the move[22] — however, the club's name, badge and colours were all radically changed at the end of the season.[1]
See also
Club identity
The club's nickname was the Dons, though the club were also frequently referred to as the Wombles. Following the FA Cup victory in 1988, the Crazy Gang also started to be applied; originally to the players, though over time to the club as a whole.[23] The club's mascot between 2000 and 2003 was a Womble, named Wandle the Womble. However, following the relocation, the owners of the Wombles brand refused to renew the license agreement. Three years later, a deal was agreed that saw a similar character named Haydon the Womble appear at AFC Wimbledon.[24]
The colours most associated with the club were blue and yellow. The club's first colours were navy blue and white, though the kit changed several times before royal blue shirts were finally settled upon in 1918. Wimbledon regularly wore royal blue shirts with black shorts and socks until a shift in the 1950s saw white return in place of black. The distinctive blue and yellow combination was first used in 1974, though the first season in the Football League, 1977–78, saw Wimbledon resplendent in all-white. Yellow shirts, blue shorts and yellow socks were adopted in 1978, before a reversal of this strip was settled upon in 1981. The kit underwent only minor changes until 1993, when a much darker blue reminiscent of the club's original kit was adopted. Wimbledon wore these colours until 2004.[23]
The first crest the club wore was the emblem of the London Borough of Merton. This emblem appeared on Wimbledon shirts from the late 1920s until the mid 1950s, when no badge was worn. The Merton coat of arms returned in the early 1970s, before Wimbledon adopted their own badge on election to the Football League in 1977. The crest was based on the coat of arms of the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon, and was very similar to the badge used on the club's dissolution — the difference being the inclusion of white rather than yellow. Yellow replaced white in 1981, and the same logo was used for the rest of the club's history.[23]
Wimbledon's first shirt sponsors were Golddigger, whose name appeared on their shirts during the 1980–81 season. Subsequent sponsors were Crispin (1983–84), John Lelliott (1984–85), Truman (1986 to 1988), Carlsberg (1988–89), Samsung (1989 to 1991), LBC (1993–94), Elonex (1994 to 1999), Tiny Computers (1999 to 2001), Maxmuscle (2001–02) and GO-MK (2002 to 2004).[23]
Stadia
Wimbledon originally played on Wimbledon Common, using the Fox and Grapes public house on the same road as the team's headquarters and changing room. The club moved to Plough Lane in September 1912. During the 1930s and 1940s, crowds of between 7,000 and 10,000 were not uncommon at the ground. Wimbledon's highest attendance at the ground came on 2 March 1935, when 18,080 people were attracted to an FA Amateur Cup tie against HMS Victory. However, the ground was very basic, and even after the club's rapid rise to the First Division Plough Lane had changed little from Wimbledon's amateur days. The only notable difference was the addition of floodlights, first used on 3 October 1960 in a London Charity Cup match against Arsenal. At the time of their acceptance into the Football League, applicants had only to meet minimal stadium criteria, and once in the League these same criteria sufficed whether the club subsequently found itself in the Fourth or First Division. Following the Hillsborough disaster and the Taylor Report, the football authorities introduced strict rules giving top flight clubs specific deadlines by which to redevelop terraced grounds or to build new all-seater stadia. The Board of the club decided that Plough Lane could not be made to comply with this economically and, in 1990, announced plans to temporarily groundshare with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Given Plough Lane's location at the junction of two major roads and beside the River Wandle, major redevelopment of the site as a modern all-seater stadium would have been difficult, although not impossible. The club maintained that it had "searched exhaustively with Merton Council" for a site in or around Merton on which to build a new stadium, looking at "14 different sites over a period of five years", in addition to commissioning feasibility studies of both Plough Lane and Wimbledon Stadium.. Despite this, nothing became of the promise to redevelop the site or find a new ground in the borough and the club remained at Selhurst Park.[25]
The first match at the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes was played on 27 September 2003.[16] Wimbledon remained there for the rest of their final season, and the ground became the first home of Milton Keynes Dons.
Supporters
Due to Plough Lane's modest capacity and Wimbledon's unprecedented rise from non-League football to the First Division in under ten years, the club had a much lower level of support than their top flight rivals. During Wimbledon's first season in the Football League, Wimbledon's average attendance was only 3,135 — however, by their appearance in Division One nine years later the average attendance had risen by 249% to 7,811. Attendances did not immediately change much following the move to Selhurst Park in 1991 — however, the larger capacity gradually started to be used. Average crowds peaked at 18,235 in 1998–99, and during the next season, the final year in the FA Premier League, home crowds averaged 17,157. With relegation, attendances dropped catastrophically to an average of only 7,897 during 2000–01. Wimbledon averaged 6,961 during the final season before the relocation was announced — the average fell to 2,787 as fans started to boycott the club. The move to Milton Keynes in 2003 saw attendances improve — during Wimbledon's final season, the average home crowd was 4,751.[26]
The club's main rivals were fellow south London club Crystal Palace and west London-based Chelsea.[27]
Statistics and records
The records for most appearances and goals for Wimbledon were both held by Alan Cork. Cork scored 145 league goals for the club in 430 matches.[28] Cork also held the record for most league goals in a season, with 29 during 1983–84.[28] Wimbledon's most capped player was Kenny Cunningham, who was capped 16 times for the Republic of Ireland during his time at the club.[29] Wimbledon's most expensive signing was John Hartson, for whom the club paid West Ham United £7.5 million on 15 January 1999.[29][30] The highest fee that the club received was the £7 million Newcastle United parted with to sign Carl Cort on 6 July 2000.[29][31]
Wimbledon's best win was a 6–0 league victory over Newport County on 3 September 1983,[29] while their worst defeat was an 8–0 League Cup defeat at Everton on 29 August 1978.[29] Wimbledon's longest unbeaten league run was 22 matches between 15 January and 14 May 1984;[32] their longest league run without a win, 14, was set between 19 March and 28 August 2000.[32] Wimbledon's longest run of league wins was seven, set between 9 April and 7 May 1983 and matched from 4 September to 19 October 1996.[32] Wimbledon's longest run of league defeats was the eleven matches lost in a row from 10 January to 27 March 2004.[32]
Wimbledon's highest attendance, 30,115, was set on 9 May 1993 for the FA Premier League match against Manchester United at Selhurst Park.[29]
Players
Wimbledon's final squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Managers
Prior to the appointment of H. R. Watts as first team manager in 1930, a committee would deal with first team affairs, such as choosing the team on a matchday.[33] Doc Dowden was appointed manager in 1946,[34] and stayed in the position until leaving at the end of the 1954–55 season.[35] Les Henley arrived in his place as first team coach,[35] and stayed at the club for sixteen years in which the club progressed immensely, winning the FA Amateur Cup as well as three Isthmian League championships before turning professional and moving to the Southern League.[36][37] However, in 1971 Henley was replaced by Mike Everitt, who arrived as player-manager. After two seasons, Everitt left to manage Brentford and Dick Graham arrived as a replacement. Graham only lasted till March, and a replacement wasn't appointed until the summer — Allen Batsford was made manager. Batsford led Wimbledon to the Football League, but resigned only half-way through the first League season.[37] Dario Gradi was made manager three days later,[37] but after three seasons he too resigned.[38] His replacement was Dave Bassett, who took Wimbledon to sixth in Division One before being lured away to Watford.[38] Bobby Gould spent three successful years in the hot-seat before being replaced by Ray Harford, who spent just over a season with Wimbledon. After Harford, Peter Withe had a catastrophic spell as manager lasting only three months. Joe Kinnear was brought in during January 1992, and managed the club until leaving in 1999 due to ill health. A season was spent under Egil Olsen in which Wimbledon were relegated from the FA Premier League before Terry Burton was made manager.[11] Burton's Wimbledon narrowly missed the play-offs twice in a row before he was sacked. Stuart Murdoch managed Wimbledon for their final two seasons.[13][39]
- Statistics apply to competitive league and cup matches only. Wartime matches excluded.[39]
Name | Nationality | From | To | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H.R. Watts | England | 1930 | 1946 | 374 | 189 | 62 | 123 | 50.5 | [33][A] |
Doc Dowden | England | 1946 | August 1955 | 374 | 186 | 62 | 126 | 49.7 | [34][35][A] |
Les Henley | England | August 1955 | 5 April 1971 | 875 | 481 | 157 | 237 | 55.0 | [35][37][A] |
Mike Everitt | England | 5 April 1971 | 6 August 1973 | 116 | 48 | 26 | 42 | 41.4 | [37][A] |
Dick Graham | England | 18 August 1973 | 16 March 1974 | 47 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 38.2 | [37][A] |
Allen Batsford | England | July 1974 | 2 January 1978 | 235 | 132 | 52 | 51 | 56.2 | [37][A] |
Dario Gradi | England | 5 January 1978 | 24 January 1981 | 171 | 63 | 47 | 61 | 36.8 | [37] |
Dave Bassett | England | 31 January 1981 | 17 June 1987 | 303 | 144 | 74 | 85 | 47.5 | |
Bobby Gould | England | 26 June 1987 | 18 June 1990 | 142 | 57 | 43 | 42 | 40.1 | |
Ray Harford | England | 18 June 1990 | 7 October 1991 | 56 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 35.7 | |
Peter Withe | England | 7 October 1991 | 19 January 1992 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 5.9 | |
Joe Kinnear | Ireland | 19 January 1992 | 9 June 1999 | 364 | 130 | 109 | 125 | 35.7 | |
Egil Olsen | Norway | 9 June 1999 | 1 May 2000 | 43 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 25.6 | [11] |
Terry Burton | England | 1 May 2000 | 25 April 2002 | 108 | 39 | 39 | 30 | 36.1 | [11] |
Stuart Murdoch | England | 25 June 2002 | 7 August 2004 | 101 | 30 | 17 | 54 | 29.7 | [13][B] |
Honours
Wimbledon won an impressive array of honours during their history, the most notable being the FA Cup victory in 1987–88. Wimbledon are one of only two teams to have won both the FA Cup and the FA Amateur Cup, having won the latter in 1962–63. Despite their great success in the Football League, their rapid ascent combined with solitary spells in Divisions Two and Three meant that Wimbledon were only ever champions of the League's Fourth Division.
The Football League
- Football League First Division / FA Premier League (level 1)[C]
- Football League Second Division (level 2)
- Promotion: 1985–86
- Football League Third Division (level 3)
- Promotion: 1983–84
- Football League Fourth Division (level 4)
Domestic cup competitions
- FA Cup
- Winners: 1987–88
- FA Amateur Cup
- Football League Group Trophy
- Runners-up: 1980–81
- Anglo-Italian Cup
- Runners-up 1975–76
Minor honours
- Southern League
- Southern League Cup
- Isthmian League
- Athenian League
- Runners-up: 1920–21
- London Senior Cup
- Clapham League
- South Western Cup
- Winners: 1900–01
- Surrey Senior Cup
- Surrey Charity Shield
- Surrey Combination Cup
- London Charity Cup
- South London Charity Cup
- South Western Charity Cup
- Winners: 1930–31
- South of the Thames Cup
- Herald League
- Champions: 1896–97
- Herald Cup
- Winners: 1900–01
Footnotes
- A. ^ Statistics calculated by removing friendly matches from the seasonal records detailed at Historical Dons and then adding seasonal records together.
- B. ^ Stuart Murdoch continued to manage Milton Keynes Dons after the club's rebranding. 7 August 2004 is the date of Milton Keynes Dons's first league match, and so is given as the date on which Murdoch ceased to manage Wimbledon.
- C. ^ Upon its formation for the 1992–93 season, the FA Premier League became the top tier of English football; the First, Second and Third Divisions then became the second, third and fourth tiers, respectively.
References
- ^ a b c d "Wimbledon become MK Dons FC". The Guardian. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f Heller, Ivor (2002-09-01). "Wombles are on their way". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c Pryce, Robert (2002-08-26). "The Dons flow in front of the few". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Rundle, Richard. "Football Club History Database - Wimbledon". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ Noades, Ron (2001-04-01). "I looked at MK in the 70's". BBC. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
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(help) - ^ Crabtree, Stephen (1996). The Dons in the League 1977-1982. Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure Press. ISBN 0860235580.
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ignored (help) - ^ "QPR offer Clement emotional Loftus Road deal". Daily Mail. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ "FA Cup Final 1988". Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ "World Notes BRITAIN". Report by Time. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
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ignored (help) - ^ "A hard lesson to learn". BBC. 1999-04-15. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d "Dons have gone for a Burton". The Independent. 2000-06-01. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e White, Jim (2003-01-11). "Pitch battle". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
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(help) - ^ a b c "Murdoch takes reins". BBC. 2002-06-25. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b Moffitt, Alistair (2002-10-31). "Dons chief shrugs off lowest ever crowd". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b "Wimbledon go into administration". The Daily Telegraph. 2003-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
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(help) - ^ a b c Pryce, Robert (2003-09-29). "Wimbledon's happy ending is pure Hollywood". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c Milledge, Adrian (2004-04-07). "Wimbledon fall through trap-door". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c "Wimbledon to change name". BBC. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "Report of the Independent Commission on Wimbledon F.C.'s wish to relocate to Milton Keynes" (PDF). Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Conn, David (2009-04-28). "Tears of joy as AFC Wimbledon prove they are in the wider interest of football". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
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(help) - ^ "Crozier 'appalled' by Dons move". BBC. 2002-08-22. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "No name change for Wimbledon, despite the move". The Guardian. 2003-04-02. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c d "Historical Kits Wimbledon". Historical Kits. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ "Wombles Questions". Tidy Bag. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ "Financing a New Stadium". Wimbledon F.C. 2003. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "Milton Keynes Dons/AFC Wimbledon". http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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- ^ "Rivalry uncovered" (PDF). Football Fans Census. December 2003. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ a b "Alan Cork". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d e f "MK Dons (formerly Wimbledon) all time records". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ "Hartson joins Wimbledon for £7.5m". The Guardian. 1999-01-15. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ Nixon, Alan (2000-07-06). "Newcastle beat Tottenham to sign £7m Cort". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c d "Wimbledon : Records". Statto. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b "1930 to 1939". Historical Dons. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b "1940 to 1949". Historical Dons. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d "1950 to 1959". Historical Dons. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ "1960 to 1969". Historical Dons. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "1970 to 1979". Historical Dons. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b "1980 to 1989". Historical Dons. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b "Manager History for Wimbledon". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2009-06-04.