“A combination of sheer belief and possibly naivety”, is how our former CEO Erik Samuelson summed up AFC Wimbledon’s journey back to Plough Lane and everything in between.
Last night BBC Radio London brought together a host of familiar faces to look back on the last two decades of our club after we defied the odds and proved that we are indeed in the wider interests of football.
Hosted at the By the Horns Plough Lane pub by Nick Godwin and his team, supporters both young and old were able to recount their memories of our amazing journey after the fans took full control of Wimbledon’s football club in 2002.
First up to take the mic was three of our original founders in the form of Ivor Heller, Marc Jones and Kris Stewart – with the fourth, Trevor Williams, joining the broadcast via mobile phone.
It provided the perfect start to the evening and gave listeners an idea of just how much work goes into setting up a football club which reformed with essentially no badge, no kit, no players and no stadium.
Next up it was the turn of Niall and Matthew Couper, as they recalled their own unique journeys in which they have both watched the Dons go from strength to strength as siblings – with the duo even both appearing as mascots together.
In addition to the guests that were being interviewed in the mini studio, the BBC’s Phil Parry was also out and about speaking to various fans and staff about what the club means to them, adding a real family feel to the event.
Finally, Andy Ramsden and Hannah Kitcher finished up the line-up for the night as they talked through their connections to Wimbledon, with both having started their fandom at various points of the timeline.
You can listen to the broadcast from last night’s show in full.