The club’s new Admiral kits will be launched on Sunday, 29 June and our countdown continues with a number that brings back memories of Wimbledon’s long stint in the top-flight of English football.
Dave Bassett started Wimbledon’s remarkable rise through the divisions during the 1980s and Ray Armfield recalled that a succession of astute managerial appointments kept the Dons competitive amongst the elite.
14 – Fourteen seasons at the summit
When Dave Bassett’s Wimbledon reached the top flight in 1986 they were odds-on favourites to come straight back down again. But the Dons defied their detractors by finishing sixth, which would have been good enough for European football in other seasons. When Bassett left, Bobby Gould (pictured above holding the FA Cup) carried on in the same vein and won the famous knockout competition a year later. Ray Harford, and notably Joe Kinnear, also enjoyed success over the next few years. But the arrival of Egil Olsen, his wellies, zonal marking and the majority of his mainly-Scandinavian signings in 1999 didn’t work and even his eleventh-hour removal in favour of Terry Burton couldn’t stave off relegation in 2000.
.Your AFC WimbledonIn association with Admiral Sportswear Limited, supporters will be able to see the club’s new home, away and third kits, along with training wear, for the first time, on 29 June, at Centre Court Shopping Centre. To view our previous announcement about this, click on