Opposition View: The inside view on a hugely significant occasion for AFC Wimbledon as they open new stadium against Doncaster Rovers

Tonight, Doncaster Rovers are set for another midweek fixture in a packed League One campaign but for hosts AFC Wimbledon it will be a historic occasion.
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After 29 years of exile, they will make their return to their spiritual home of Plough Lane.

A lot has changed in the best part of three decades - and not just the sparkling new stadium sitting 250 yards down the road from the old one.

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Shifted across London to a ground-share at Selhurst Park before being ripped away from the capital entirely, only to be reborn through the passion of a dedicated fanbase who sparked an incredible rise back to the Football League, and then on to the third tier.

AFC WimbledonAFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon

But even through their remarkable reemergence, the Dons were still away from home. Kingsmeadow, which delivered several unhappy memories for Rovers in recent years, was in a different county.

So while it might be just another game for Rovers tonight, for the hosts it will be one of the greatest days in the history of a club that has a fair few special moments over the years.

To get the inside view of the long journey back to Plough Lane, we spoke to top football writer and broadcaster Andy Brassell, who also happens to be a Dons supporter.

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DFP: Sum up just how significant tonight is as an occasion for Wimbledon

AB: “It’s an unusual occasion because I know a lot of people who don’t think it will be properly open until fans are allowed in.

“I can understand that, particularly when you bear in mind that the fans have funded it.

“In December, there was an £11million shortfall for the stadium and it was the fans who helped close that shortfall. It was something that was really unprecedented in football.

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“For the fans not to be in is a really unfortunate consequence of the situation we’re in at the moment, though by no means the most serious thing about the pandemic.

“But it is a bit sad that we’ve finally got to this point and the fans won’t be allowed in.

“The last game we played there was in 1991. A couple more months to wait is maybe something we can live with.

“We’ve waited long enough and the fact we are back there is something that is hugely symbolically important.

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“It’s maybe something a lot of people didn’t think was possible at the start of AFC Wimbledon forming.

“If you go back to 2002, there’s a lot of amazing things that have happened with AFC Wimbledon but this is perhaps the most amazing one.”

DFP: Is the opening of the new Plough Lane the biggest landmark in the history of the reborn Wimbledon?

AB: “I think being in the league and having our league place from 2009 was a huge part of it.

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“When Wimbledon went to Selhurst Park and were still in the Premier League for the best part of a decade afterwards, some people didn’t come.

“I think there will be a tapping into certain people who maybe felt they had left that part of their life behind.

“For a lot of people it didn’t feel like Wimbledon when it wasn’t in Wimbledon.

“When we were at Kingsmeadow, it’s only 15 minutes on the bus from central Wimbledon but it is technically Surrey.

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“We’re at the other end of Plough Lane now - there’s a few people who would like the Post Office to cheat the postcode a bit. SW19 is Wimbledon but the end of Plough Lane that we’re at now is SW17.

“A lot of people would like to see it change to SW19. I’m not sure it’s possible and it’s not the important thing, though it would be symbolically important.”

DFP: Is this the chance now for the club to rebuild its links with the local community?

AB: “A whole generation of people have never had Wimbledon on their doorstep.

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“The club has been very front foot in terms of community programmes, not just with coaching kids.

“The Dons Local Action Group were originally leafleting for the bond after the funding shortfall but during lockdown they stayed together to deliver food to vulnerable people.

“That connection with the community has always been there and it’s something that’s been important to the club.”

DFP: How will the move aid the growth of the club?

AB: “Especially looking at the current times, a lot of people have felt that however noble a fans’ club might be, there’s a ceiling we may hit in terms of growth.

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“Some people will dream of the Premier League. I would argue that’s not the most important thing but who am I to deny people dreaming?

“When you’re at Kingsmeadow, we were already punching above our weight going into League One. You saw it when the likes of Sunderland and Ipswich arrived, wondering what they were doing playing a league game at the ground.

“There is a feeling that the club can now stand on its own two feet commercially. The fans will always fund the club in its current guise but especially in these times there’s a limit on how deep people’s pockets are.

“If they make the space work for them then maybe there are those extra revenue streams that will help the club grow.

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“Even if that is only stabilising in League One, that’s fine for me. There has been a feeling since we’ve been in League One that we’re hanging on by our fingernails.

“It was a surprise promotion and it’s been hard to stay up since.

“In terms of the club growing it offers a window of opportunity.”

DFP: Have you had a chance to look around the new stadium yet?

AB: “I got taken around it last week. It’s pretty amazing.

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“It’s not completely finished but getting there and it being an actual football stadium, it’s thrilling. It’s just amazing.”

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In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.