Blue Square Play-Off Final Photos: Just Nine Years After Forming, AFC Wimbledon Reach The Football League!

Chris Wright

22nd, May 2011

5 Comments

By Chris Wright

After 120 minutes of goalless toil, AFC Wimbledon beat Luton Town on penalties in the Blue Square Premier League play-off final at Eastlands to secure themselves Football League status for next season – an astounding feat once you factor in that the club were only formed as a non-league outfit nine short years ago in protest over the FA’s decision to dissolve the original Wimbledon and replace them with ‘Franchise FC’ 80 miles up the M1 in Milton Keynes.

Yesterday’s victory over Luton makes it five promotions in eight years for the Dons, who started off life in the Combined Counties League in 2002 (they even counted So Solid Crew’s MC Harvey amongst their squad at one point) and now find themselves just one more promotion away from playing in the same division as MK Dons – the mind boggles.

A fairytale story if ever there was one. Pies’ hearty congrats go out to everyone involved with the club – including chairman Erik Samuelson, who apparently still only takes a £1 annual salary.

Photos…

Brett Johnson goes in hard on Luton’s Jason Walker

Danny Kedwell and Keith Keane battle for an aerial ball

Keith Keane beats Luke Moore to the ball

A Womble mascot is proudly held aloft by a AFC Wimbledon supporter

AFC Wimbledon ‘keeper Seb Brown (an England C international) saves Alex Lawless’ penalty

…then celebrates accordingly

Luton players watch on as AFC Wimbledon’s Danny Kedwell scores the decisive penalty

Terry and Seb Brown celebrate after the final whistle

AFC Wimbledon manager Terry Brown celebrates with the supporters

AFC Wimbledon celebrate their promotion to the Football League

Photos: PA.

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5 Comments

  1. Lewis says:

    Love it, absolutely amazing, prefered if both went up to be honest instead of Crawley’s buying the title.

    My gripe though is why shunt this playoff all the way up in Manchester? I know Wem not available for CL Final next week etc etc, but Emirates wasn’t being used for anything yesterday, could have had great 40-50k gate!

  2. zz says:

    Fantastic.

  3. chimpo says:

    fair bloody play to AFC Wombles…. i didnt know anything about this til just now

    would be funny if they got promoted again and MK dons got demoted at the same time

  4. Website says:

    Website…

    Blue Square Play-Off Final Photos: Just Nine Years After Forming, AFC Wimbledon Reach The Football League! » Who Ate all the Pies…

  5. NRP says:

    Amazing achievement, fair play to the real Dons

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