Neil Sullivan achieved a unique double celebration during the 2012/13 campaign as he experienced the highs of promotion and survival in equal measure.
Whilst AFC Wimbledon secured our Football League status, Doncaster Rovers toasted a dramatic afternoon against Brentford as a last gasp goal saw them head up as champions in League One.
It was a game that proved to be Sully’s last for the South Yorkshire outfit, meaning he signed off his playing career in style following a season in which he also returned to the Dons on loan.
Almost 10 years on, he takes some time out to look back on his experiences in both yellow and blue and red and white.
You were born in Sutton. How did you first come to be involved with Wimbledon?
I played a lot of games for Merton Borough. We were quite a decent side and we played some finals which were hosted at Plough Lane. I believe that’s how I got spotted. From there I went on to become a 16-year-old scholar for the club back in 1986.
There were some big characters at the club during your first stint. Who took you under their wing?
You were left to fend for yourself. You’d walk into the changing room and get on with it. You had to prove yourself on the pitch in order to progress.
When I was 16 I was training one day a week with the first-team anyway. I had a bit of an idea of what I was walking into then. It was a great experience for me and I loved it.
How do you look back on the 1990s – do you feel we could have achieved more than we did?
A lot of money was just starting to come into the Premier League. Plough Lane was deemed unsuitable because of regulations, which was gutting. However we had some good finishes in the league table during that period and of course the two cup semi-finals.
For Wimbledon to be in the Premier League at all during that era was an achievement in itself. We were the perennial underdogs. We were underrated but in reality we had some very good players and were a very good side. A lot of teams came along and took our players.
What was Joe Kinnear like to work with and how did he get the best out of you?
He was my first manager at that level. He let us get on with things off the pitch – as long as we gave 100% on it, he was happy. As I said before we had a quality group of players, so a lot of it took care of itself, meaning he didn’t have to step in too much.
How hard was it to leave Wimbledon for Tottenham?
It was made even more tough because of the relegation. There was also the backdrop of the problems that the Norwegian owners were causing for the club. It became almost inevitable that I was going to move on. I’d been with the club 13 years.
I didn’t know that I was heading to Spurs at the time, that came about during the summer. I grew up in the area, I was ballboy when I was young. I have so many fond memories of being at Wimbledon.
After spells with Spurs, Chelsea and Leeds United you joined Doncaster Rovers. What was the highlight of you career with them?
When I was there on loan we won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – it’s not the be all and end all for every club but for a club like Doncaster it’s a very big thing. Staying in the Championship and competing in there was a big achievement as well.
We had promotions and relegations along the way too – my last ever game happened to be that dramatic one at Brentford where they missed a penalty and we went up the other end to score a winner and get promoted.
What was it like to return to Wimbledon in 2012 and play a part in keeping us in the league?
Neal Ardley was my roommate when we were players at Wimbledon. His wife is godmother to one of my kids. We go on family holidays. We know each other really well.
He knew I wasn’t playing at Doncaster and just wanted a bit of experience in his side. I came back down and moved back in with my mum in Morden. I helped as best I could in the short time I was there.
Come the end of the season I had two reasons to celebrate as Wimbledon stayed up and Doncaster went up.
Do you still follow the fortunes of both clubs?
Of course. I like to see what’s going on at both clubs. Saturday’s game will be interesting. I’m always pleased to see both do well.