Source: FOOTYMAD
Congratulations Wimbledon
There was something very right about yesterday's Blue Square Premier League play off result, the return of Wimbledon to the Football League after nine years. Yes, nine years, that's back to 2002 when they had their football club taken from them and moved to Milton Keynes against every damn football rule there was. Milton Keynes, having failed to lure both QPR and Luton, ironically yesterday's play off opponents, were successful in getting Wimbledon and buying a place in the Football League.And so started the climb for the new AFC Wimbledon, from the Combined Counties league through two divisions of the Rymans League and finally two more promotions in the Conference. That's five promotions in nine years and with the last one comes that much yearned Football League status and just two divisions lower than when they lost their club.I know this is a Burnley web site and I have to admit that I have no affinity to Wimbledon. Until 1975 it was somewhere tennis was played for two weeks every year. Then came goalkeeper Dickie Guy and his non-league team, daring to beat First Division Burnley in the FA Cup and my dislike of them started. Guy, by the way, is now club president.No one particularly liked them, or their antics, as they climbed their way into the Premier League, but there again no self respecting football fan can surely have accepted what happened to them in the early part of this Millennium.A chance meeting with Simon Wheeler (of the Wimbledon Supporters Association) got my interest in their situation. It stunk, absolutely stunk, what happened to them and whilst nothing can be wiped away I bet you couldn't wipe the smile of Simon's face, and those of his fellow fans, yesterday at the City of Manchester Stadium.Well done to them - and welcome back to the Football Club. It's so deserved, it is so very right.
