Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English football club formed in Wimbledon, southwest London, in 1889 and based at Plough Lane from 1912 to 1991. Founded as Wimbledon Old Centrals, the club were a non-League team for most of their history. Nicknamed "the Dons" and latterly also "the Wombles", they won eight Isthmian League titles, the FA Amateur Cup in 1963 and three successive Southern League championships between 1975 and 1977, and were then elected to the Football League. The team rose quickly from obscurity during the 1980s and were promoted to the then top-flight First Division in 1986, just four seasons after being in the Fourth Division.
Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang"—so-called because of the boisterous, eccentric behaviour of the players—won the FA Cup in 1988, beating that season's League champions Liverpool, and thereby became one of only three clubs to have won both the FA Cup and its amateur counterpart. In 1991, following the publication of the Taylor Report recommending all-seater grounds for top-flight clubs, Wimbledon left Plough Lane to groundshare with nearby Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park—an originally temporary arrangement that ended up lasting over a decade. The team remained in the First Division and its successor,the FA Premier League, until they were relegated in 2000.
In 2001, after rejecting a variety of possible local sites and others further afield, the club announced its intention to move north to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. The idea of Wimbledon leaving south London was deeply unpopular, both with the bulk of the club's established fanbase and with football supporters generally, but an independent commission appointed by the Football Association granted permission in May 2002. A group of supporters, appalled by the decision, responded by forming a new club, AFC Wimbledon, to which the majority of Wimbledon FC fans switched allegiance. The move went ahead and Wimbledon FC played home games in Milton Keynes in the 2003-2004 season; Milton Keynes Dons F.C. would compete in the Football League from 2004 onwards.
History
Non-League beginnings
Wimbledon Old Central Football Club formed in 1889, taking its name from the Old Central School on Wimbledon Common where players had been pupils. The club's first match was a 10 victory over Westminster, and it took only seven years for success to come to Wimbledon as they won both the Clapham League and the Herald League in 189596. Wimbledon won the Clapham League again in 190001, as well as two minor trophies. At a meeting convened on 1 May 1905, the decision was taken to drop "Old Central" from the club's name, and under its new name Wimbledon Football Club won the South London Charity Cup the same year; however, excessive debts caused the club to fold in 1910. A year later, the club was restarted under the name Wimbledon Borough, though 'Borough' was dropped from the team's name after barely a year. They continued to play on Wimbledon Common and at various other locations in the Wimbledon area until 1912, when the side settled at Plough Lane. Wimbledon joined the Athenian League for 191920, and finished as runners-up in their second season in the new division. The club then joined the Isthmian League and began to prosper, winning four Isthmian League titles during the 1930s and reaching the FA Amateur Cup final in 193435. The club reached another FA Amateur Cup final in 194647 and twice finished as runners-up in the league over the next few seasons.Wimbledon won the Isthmian League for the fifth time in 195859 before starting a period of domination that saw three successive championships: 196162, 196263 and 196364. Wimbledon also lifted the FA Amateur Cup in 196263, beating Sutton United 42; the club's all-time top goalscorer, Eddie Reynolds, scored all four Wimbledon goals with his head, and in doing so became the only player to have headed in all four of his side's goals in a Wembley match – as of 2025, still a unique feat. Following these successes, the decision was taken for the club to turn professional for the 196465 season and to enter the Southern League. Wimbledon's success continued in their new league, and the team finished as runners-up at the first attempt. Wimbledon became nationally famous during an FA Cup run during the 197475 season; entering the competition at the first qualifying round, Wimbledon defeated Bracknell Town, then 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 of the 20th century to beat a First Division side away from home by defeating Burnley at Turf Moor. Their good form continued in the fourth round, as the team held the reigning First Division champions Leeds United to a 00 draw at Elland Road. Goalkeeper Dickie Guy saved a penalty from Peter Lorimer to earn a replay, which was narrowly lost 10 by an own goal in front of over 40,000 spectators at Selhurst Park. After winning the Southern League three times running, from 197475 to 197677, Wimbledon were elected to the Football League in place of Workington for the 197778 season.
The Football League
The 1977–78 season was a satisfactory Football League debut for Wimbledon, who finished 13th in the Fourth Division. Allen Batsford had resigned as manager on 2 January 1978 to be succeeded by Dario Gradi, who guided the club to promotion in 197879. Wimbledon's first stay in the Third Division was not a successful one. The team struggled, and were relegated in bottom place, winning just 10 league games all season. 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.Still in south London, 1980–81 saw Wimbledon regain 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, taking manager Dario Gradi to Selhurst Park with him. At Plough Lane, assistant manager Dave Bassett was promoted to manager. Under Bassett, Wimbledon were relegated in 22nd place. Just before the survival battle was lost, injured defender Dave Clement committed suicide. Wimbledon once again regained Third Division status at the first time of asking, triumphing as Fourth Division champions in 198283, and in the next season the Wimbledon players continued to excel as they achieved a second promotion to the Second Division after finishing runners-up with 97 league goals.
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 finish was more than satisfactory for a club that was playing at this level for the first time. The next year started well for Wimbledon as Middlesbrough were defeated 30 on the opening day of the season – the team was soon looking like a contender for promotion. Promotion in third place was sealed on the final day of the season with an away victory at 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.
First Division football and an FA Cup triumph
Many observers tipped Wimbledon to go straight back down in 198687, but after losing the first game of the season away at Manchester City, Wimbledon won the next four games to perch atop the league table on 1 September. Wimbledon eventually finished sixth, before Dave Bassett moved on to Watford. His successor was Bristol Rovers manager Bobby Gould. Dubbed "The Crazy Gang" because of the eccentric behaviour of its players, fans and chairman, Sam Hammam, the club's greatest moment came in 1988 when, very much against expectation, the team won the FA Cup, beating overwhelming favourites Liverpool 10 with a goal from Lawrie Sanchez. 37,000 Wimbledon fans witnessed captain Dave Beasant becoming the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final, stopping John Aldridge's shot. The only downside of this triumph was that the club 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. Wimbledon also finished seventh in the league this season.Just days after the FA Cup triumph, Wimbledon 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 198990 the side finished eighth. Despite these successes, Bobby Gould was replaced in the summer of 1990 by Ray Harford, 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, defender Warren Barton was purchased for £300,000 while Wimbledon had another strong season in 199091, finishing seventh.
Nothing came of the plans for a new ground and at the end of 199091 the club's board decided that Plough Lane was beyond redevelopment to meet with new legislation from the Taylor Report, requiring all-seater stadiums. Consequently, the club moved to Selhurst Park before the 199192 season, ground-sharing with Crystal Palace. Harford suddenly resigned in October 1991, with the Dons in the top half of the table, to be replaced by Peter Withe. Withe lasted until just after the turn of the new year, winning just one league game in three months. Joe Kinnear was promoted from the role of youth team coach, initially taking over as interim manager and overseeing strong form which lifted the club out of the relegation. After guiding Wimbledon to 13th place in the First Division and booking a place in the inaugural FA Premier League, Kinnear got the manager's job on a permanent basis.
During Wimbledon’s first six seasons in the top flight, they had not only managed to survive among the elite and win the FA Cup, but had also managed to finish above the likes of Everton, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.