The Dons tonight visit AFC Barrow for the first time in just over a decade with both clubs having progressed significantly since those non league days.
Back in November 2010, Terry Brown's men were beaten 2-0 in Cumbria, a rare defeat in Wimbledon's memorable promotion-winning campagn, the Dons sealing a place back in the Football League just nine years after reforming.
One more promotion has followed for Wimbledon and the remarkable club journey has taken us back home to Plough Lane. AFC Barrow have also enjoyed a real renaissance of their own, steady improvement over the years leading to promotion from the National League. That charge towards the title, before the season was curtailed and Barrow were promoted on points per game, was led by Ian Evatt, but he left the managerial hot seat for Bolton Wanderers in the summer. Former Blackburn midfielder David Dunn is now in charge and he's a man who our manager knows well from the time when he served as a coach at the Lancashire club.
Below are quotes from both managers ahead of the game, plus a look at the opposition, and more.
Glyn Hodges
"They are a good footballing side and they knock the ball about well, it’s going to be a test. They will fancy it, and we have a long way to travel, but they played on Tuesday too, so at least that’s the same for both sides. It’s going to be a tough game, and we are up against it, so we are under no illusions about the challenge that Barrow will provide.
“This competition is massive to our club, and it’s a competition that we want to stay in for as long as possible. The FA Cup has been kind to us over the years and with some of the news about fans possibly coming back into stadiums it would be nice to get two wins and to see if we can get a good home draw in January.”
David Dunn (speaking after the 4-3 home defeat versus Oldham)
"Fair play to Oldham because their shape was good but if you score three goals at home you’ve got to win the game.
“It’s the fine details that have gone against us so we all have to be better; we have to work on it because we’ve conceded from another set-piece and sloppy penalty so we’re disappointed.
“We’ll recover and do things properly and then go again on Thursday to try and get ourselves a good result against Wimbledon.”
A quick look at Barrow's form
Barrow are currently 19th in League 2, having won two, drawn seven, and lost five, this season. On Tuesday, the Cumbrians were beaten 4-3 in a thrilling match at home to Oldham Athletic. Games involving Barrow have certainly been entertaining in recent weeks, a 2-2 draw at home to Forest Green in their previous match. The defeat to Oldham was just Barrow's second home defeat this season with Accrington Stanley having earned a 1-0 victory there in the Papa John's Trophy.
A positive for Barrow from the Oldham defeat was that forward Scott Quigley got off the mark for the season in that game. The former Halifax, Port Vale, and Blackpool striker was an integral part of Barrow's charge to promotion last season as he scored 20 goals in 2019/20.
Rewind
The Dons last visited Barrow in November 2010 with the hosts winning 2-0, and that came a year after a 2-2 draw in Cumbria. For more on this, see our previous article.
Form guide
Barrow LDDLLW
Wimbledon LWDDWD
iFollow
Match passes are available on iFollow, priced at £10 for fans in the UK and £7 for those based overseas.
Mikey T and Rob C will be making the long trip to Barrow to provide commentary of the Emirates FA Cup first round tie (7.45 pm kick-off).
If you have any issues with accessing the live stream please e-mail iFollow@efl.com .