As the curtain came down at the end of the 2009/10 season, the players of AFC Wimbledon celebrated adding another successful chapter to their club's short history. By securing eighth position in their first season in the top flight of non-League football, the Dons finished as the county's highest-placed part-time team. More importantly, they took another step towards regaining what their supporters believe is their rightful place in the Football League - the place that was taken from them so controversially.

After decades of success, the old Wimbledon FC was allowed by a supine FA Commission to relocate to a Buckinghamshire new town. The Dons fans were outraged and determined not to let a proud 104-year history die. Within just six weeks during the hot summer of 2002, AFC Wimbledon - a club the sport's governing body had declared would be "not in the wider interests of football" - was born.

The new Dons' opening match in the Combined Counties League attracted 2,449 fans to Sandhurst Town's basic Bottom Meadow ground, where bales of hay were brought in to form improvised terracing. After finishing third at the end of that first campaign, the Dons secured a league and cup double in 2004. The next season they won the Ryman League First Division South before twice failing in the Premier Division playoffs over the following 24 months.

The upward momentum was restored with the arrival of experienced manager Terry Brown in 2007. In his first year the new boss helped the team scramble out of the Ryman League via the playoffs, and followed that up by leading his side to the Conference South title at the first attempt. The Blue Square Premier proved a tougher nut to crack, and despite being in fourth place at the turn of the year the club finished outside the playoff places last April.

The rise of AFC Wimbledon has brought inevitable comparisons with their illustrious predecessor's climb from the Southern League to the old First Division during the 1970s and 80s. That success culminated in victory over Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final, prompting BBC commentator John Motson to deliver the immortal line, "The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club." That unique spirit lives on in the large numbers of fans who give up their time to run the present club.

AFC Wimbledon is still wholly owned by its supporters via the one-fan, one-vote Dons Trust. It was conceived on 27 May 2002 by Ivor Heller, Kris Stewart, Trevor Williams and Marc Jones. While fellow campaigners were protesting in London's Soho Square and waiting to hear whether the relocation of their club would be sanctioned, these four were looking at how they could start anew. "We all felt that if the vote went against us we would have to start another club", Heller said.

Eight years on, he is the club's commercial director. "I've always been just a fan, and I live and breathe every kick. But this is different to back in the 1970s and 80s. It's part of me and I'm part of it. Everybody at the club feels the same way." The new Dons have made steady progress. While making plans for a possible future return to Wimbledon, they are gradually redeveloping the ground their fans bought, and the youth set-up is growing fast.

Backed last year by average attendances of over 3,500, the club took the decision to go full time this season as the development continues. Putting their faith unashamedly in youth and good discipline, the Dons have won the Fair Play League for the past three seasons, proving that their attitude on the field owes more to the spirit of Brian Clough than Vinnie Jones. However turbulent or unexpected the future turns out to be, it surely cannot match the rollercoaster ride of the last remarkable decade.