Lost Files: Wimbledon F.C.
16/02/2024
By Joseph Foster
Plough Lane, home of the former Wimbledon F.C. by Steve Daniels (Creative Commons, 1982)
The more perceptive football fan, or perhaps as others may call us, the football fan with too much time, may have wondered where this name ‘Milton Keynes Dons’ originates from. M.K. Dons may not be a top-tier English team, but they have had a minor share of the spotlight in recent years, famously as the development club of Dele Alli, and their 4-0 dispatching of Manchester United in the 2014 EFL Cup with braces from two absolute giants of the sport: Benik Afobe, and the man who lyrically divides Wednesday Revs when Freed from Desire begins to play, Will Grigg. But the little-known history of M.K. Dons and its naming , constitutes an equally, if not more, interesting story.
Quite simply, the nickname ‘Dons’ comes from the southwest London district which hosts the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world: Wimbledon. I would be disappointed in you as my reader if you are not now questioning why a city just as far from London as Cambridge takes its name from Wimbledon.
History of Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon F.C, a club which no longer exists, enjoyed a meteoric rise up the English football pyramid: elected into the Football League for the 1977-78 season, and by the 1986-1987 season the club was a member of the First Division, the top flight of English football. Backed by many to finish rock bottom, Wimbledon turned heads with an astounding 6th place finish in their first season. Just one year later, in a magical upset, Wimbledon won the FA Cup against Liverpool, with a penalty save from captain Dave Beasant.
Life was good for Wimbledon fans until the year 2000. The fairytale for the Wombles, or the ‘Dons’ as they were familiarly known, was over.On the 14th of May that year, they were relegated. The situation for the fans went from bad to worse, when the board announced plans to relocate the club to Milton Keynes. The move was protested heavily by the fans, and the Football League refused to give permission, despite chairman Koppel claiming it was necessary to keep the club from going out of business. The club launched an appeal and despite opposition from both the F.A. and the league, an independent commission ruled in favour of the club, and the highly controversial relocation was approved .
In reaction to the decision to relocate the club, some fans decided to create a new club: AFC Wimbledon. In no time, gate receipts at the new club exceeded those of Wimbledon F.C, and the relocated team entered administration just months after leaving Wimbledon. They were brought out of administration eventually, and ‘Milton Keynes Dons’ was founded in the club’s place.
A.F.C. Wimbledon and M.K. Dons
In the background of this turbulent split, Pete Winkleman, a music promoter supported by ASDA and IKEA, became interested in getting involved . In 1997 when Wimbledon F.C were in search of a ground, Winkleman proposed a stadium development project, and the consortium offered the location to Luton, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace, Barnet and QPR. Wimbledon chairman Koppel toyed with the idea, but decided in favour of relocation. However, it was ultimately the man who had proposed a rescue plan to keep Wimbledon F.C in Wimbledon who ended up buying the club, post-relocation, and establishing and confirming the transition to becoming Milton Keynes Dons Football Club.
However, the true essence of Wimbledon F.C, F.A. Cup champions, rests within A.F.C. Wimbledon. Yet, before comparison to F.C’s heights of the 1990s, the newly found A.F.C. must be given credit for rising up a much larger football pyramid than the one that stood before their predecessor . in 1977. In their short history, the Wombles, with a nickname that has carried over from the ashes out of which the club emerged, have managed some groundbreaking achievements. They are the only English team founded in the 21st century to have managed to climb into the professional leagues. It gets more impressive. The longest unbeaten run in senior English football: Arsenal, the invincibles? No, it was A.F.C. Wimbledon’s run from February 2003 to December 2004 with 78 games undefeated. From clubless to lossless, this story for fans of Wimbledon, is pure football heritage.
The ‘crazy gang’
This would not be a true lost files story without a little bit of niche football trivia. Wimbledon F.C was not just known for its successes on the pitch in the 80s and 90s, but equally for the antics of their players off the pitch. Over this period, the players became known for their practical jokes and macho behaviours, such as pranking their managers, and getting into heated scraps on the pitch. In performances and stunts that can only be compared to drinking society initiations, trainees were locked in car boots, new signings set on fire, and the club's bus driver had boiling fish batter placed on his head while driving on a motorway.
The crazy gang featured some household names, such as Vinnie Jones, who gained himself a reputation as one of the most dangerous players in the league. Some would say: Joey Barton before there was Joey Barton. Famously, Jones presented ‘Soccer’s Hard Men’ for which he was fined and banned for 6 months, as he encouraged young men to act ‘harder.’ Of course, the term ‘crazy gang’ refers to a mix of dangerous and humorous; Jones grabbing Paul Gascoigne by the testicles in a league game for Wimbledon an example of the two at once. Alongside Jones in the spotlight of the Crazy Gang, was John Fashanu, and the two were known for their risky tackles.
However, their managers were willing to entertain their rowdy behaviour for, as one of them, Bobby Gould, recalls, ‘they trained harder than anyone else, they were so intense.’ The energy, with which the Wimbledon players pranked and partied, fooled and frenzied, was matched on the pitch, and at the training ground. In fact the nickname ‘the Crazy Gang’ was even commercialised by chairman Sam Hammam, and was embroidered on the club’s kits for a period of time.
In Wimbledon F.C.’s short history, there was silverware, there was culture, and there was spirit. The demise of the club should be considered one of England’s greatest football tragedies. If A.F.C. Wimbledon ever return to the Premier League, it will be a footballing story for the ages.