The penultimate match in our League One season countdown series today focuses on a defeat that proved pivotal in our first season back in the league.
The manner of defeat in Wiltshire provoked Terry Brown into a January transfer spree and he is pictured above with (left to right) Billy Knott, Jason Euell, Callum McNaughton, Byron Harrison and George Moncur.
22. Swindon Town
Wimbledon v Swindon Town has been a Premier League fixture in the past, but here we look back on a 2012 defeat at the County Ground that threatened to make the new Dons’ stay in League 2 a short one.
Monday 2nd January 2012: League Two
Swindon Town (0) 2 Caddis 58, Connell 76
AFC Wimbledon (0) 0
It may have taken just nine years, but after defeat at Swindon Town in 2012 the Dons’ time in the Football League looked like it could last only nine months. Carried by the momentum from the previous campaign, AFC Wimbledon had been as high as fifth in the League Two table in October, but twelve games without a win left an inadequate squad moving rapidly down the table with relegation suddenly a real possibility.
Goals from Paul Caddis and Alan Connell gave promotion chasing Swindon a comfortable 2-0 victory in the opening game of the year and Terry Brown’s words afterwards hardly sounded reassuring to the travelling supporters. “I think the players need a little bit of help now,” the manager admitted. “We’re on the slide and I need to address that. I thought we were doing okay until their first goal. But once that goes in, I can’t look at my bench and see a plan B.”
Fortunately the manager took decisive action. Immediately transfer-listing Charles Ademeno, Max Porter, Ryan Jackson, Lee Minshull and James Mulley, he used the 12 days before the next match to enter the transfer market to bring in Jason Euell, Billy Knott, George Moncur and Byron Harrison, while securing a permanent deal for Callum McNaughton. The next three games were all won and by the season’s end the Dons had secured a respectable 16th place finish.
AFC Wimbledon: Brown: Franks, McNaughton, Johnson, Bush, Yussuff, Porter (Kiernan 13), S Moore, Minshull, Mulley, Ademeno (Midson 56).
Dons v Robins (1979 to 2017)
Season |
Comp |
H |
A |
1979-80 |
Div 3 |
2-0 |
1-2 |
1979-80 |
FLC4 |
1-2 |
|
1980-81 |
FAC2 |
2-0 |
|
1981-82 |
Div 3 |
1-1 |
1-4 |
1982-83 |
Div 4 |
0-0 |
1-0 |
1993-94 |
PL |
3-0 |
4-2 |
2011-12 |
Lge2 |
1-1 |
0-2 |
2011-12 |
JPTQF |
|
1-1* |
2016-17 |
Lge1 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
Total W5 D5 L5
|
*Swindon won on penalties
This series is written by Stephen Crabtree, the editor of the Historical Don. To sample a copy contact him at stephecrab@aol.com .