He may have last pulled on a Wimbledon shirt back in 1987, but Nigel Winterburn’s fire still burns strongly for the club he called home for a large chunk of his career.
Winner of our Player of the Year award four seasons in a row, the former left-back led a distinguished career which saw him win every major honour on offer in English football.
Those trophies would come with Arsenal in his later years, but it was with the Dons that Nigel really found his feet, as he recently explained in an interview with talkSPORT.
“When I first moved into digs as a young player, you began to realise that every person that lived in Wimbledon had a link to the football club,” said Nigel. “It’s always been a family-run football club rather than a business.
"I used to go into the Dog & Fox Pub, even now I could sit outside any café and just people watch for a few hours. It’s a beautiful place to live.”
Of course the defender formed part of the famous Crazy Gang that went on to become a real force in the 1980s and 90s, racking up north of 160 leagues for the Club in the process.
It was a reputation which made the men in yellow and blue feared amongst the upper echelons, with Nigel citing the hard knocks and abstract rituals as key to building cohesion.
“I was lucky enough to play in a period that was brilliant for Wimbledon football club,” he beamed. “It was a mismatch of players coming up against the elite. I can tell you that they hated playing against us! They didn’t want to come to Plough Lane.
“Your shoes would get nailed to the floor or your shoes would get cut in half. It was little things but it gave you that dose of spirit, camaraderie and togetherness.”
Of course things sadly unravelled for Wimbledon in 2002, with our very existence as a football club put under severe threat. But, as we all know, the fans refused to accept it and as a result we reformed from the ashes, giving our community its football club back.
Although the decision all those years ago still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for Nigel, he is equally as delighted as anyone that we have found our way back home.
“I was angry, very angry. Even now I don’t accept it. I would hate it if other clubs were taken over and had their name changed. AFC Wimbledon is back where it should be and it’s part of the community. We’re back in our rightful home.”
PICS: Shuttershock Editorial
