Tonight marks a historical moment for AFC Wimbledon, it sees them finally returning home since playing their last match at Plough Lane in a 3-0 Division One defeat to Crystal Palace back in May 1991.

Albeit their new shiny 9,300 all-seater stadium is less than half a mile from the original one and is situated on the site of the old Wimbledon dog track, most importantly they are back in the London borough where it all started in 1889 when they were formed and then later in 1912 Plough lane became their permanent home ground.

Wimbledon has been a club who have defied all the odds before, most notably defeating Liverpool in the FA CUP final in 1988 beating them 1-0, but it was three years later In 1991 when their turmoil began following the publication of the Taylor report recommending all-seater grounds for top-flight clubs which saw Wimbledon leave Plough Lane to ground share 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 56 miles north to Milton Keynes.

On 28 May 2002, the Football Association approved a decision by a three-person arbitration commission they had appointed to allow Wimbledon FC to move to Buckinghamshire, a decision influenced, among other factors, by claims from Wimbledon chairman Charles Koppel that such a move was necessary in order to prevent the club from going bankrupt. The F.A. forbade any right of appeal against the decision!



Following the F.A.’s announcement of their decision, a group of Wimbledon supporters led by Kris Stewart and fellow founding members Marc Jones and Trevor Williams met in The Fox and Grapes pub on Wimbledon Common to plan what was to be done next as part of the protest. It was agreed that as there was no right of appeal, the only option was to start the club again from scratch. On 30 May 2002, the idea was put forward in a Wimbledon Independent Supporters’ Association meeting to create a new community-based club named AFC Wimbledon and an appeal for funds was launched.

When AFC Wimbledon was formed, it affiliated to both the London and Surrey Football Associations and entered the Premier Division of the Combined Counties league the ninth tier of English football. The club has since been promoted six times in 13 seasons, going from the ninth tier (Combined Counties Premier) to the third (League One).

In 2010-11 AFC Wimbledon finished as runners-up of the Conference Premier, qualifying for the play-offs. The Dons beat Fleetwood Town in the play-off semi-finals and then at 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. The victory resulted in promotion to the Football League and represented the club’s fifth promotion in nine years and finally got them back to where they once belonged.

Tonight’s game on the fixture list v Doncaster Rovers may not look the most remarkable or standout out game but for the fans of AFC Wimbledon and any true supporter of the game, it marks an astonishing achievement and shows that football is all about the fans and their passion for the game, it’s just sad that no supporters will be able to be there to witness it.

Welcome home!