THE WOMBLES AND THE WANDERERS
Posted on: Mon 27 Oct 2008
By Matt Cecil
The 'magic of the cup' put its powers to use in the most romantic fashion on Sunday afternoon when Wycombe Wanderers were paired with AFC Wimbledon in the first round of this season's FA Cup, producing no end of fascinating connections between the two clubs and the greatest competition in world football.
Supporters of most of the clubs involved in the draw would have waited with intrigue after ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown held up the ball numbered 67 in Sunday's draw, indicating that the Dons would face a home tie in their first ever appearance in the post-qualifying stages of the competition.
And when former Tottenham star Ossie Ardiles produced the number 47 from the bowl at Soho Square, Wanderers fans were rubbing their hands in anticipation of one of the most intriguing cup ties in recent years.
AFC Wimbledon were formed in 2002 as a continuation of the former Wimbledon FC, beginning life in the Combined Counties League following a series of player trials and fund-raising activities to give the new club the best possible chance of success.
And it didn't take long for the celebratory champagne to flow. Boosted by four-figure attendances which dwarved the turn-outs of their divisional rivals, the 'Wombles' quickly reached the Ryman League and achieved promotion to the Blue Square South in the summer, just two levels away from their ultimate dream of climbing into the Football League.
Their rise to prominence has shown all the signs of the classic 'Wimbledon' spirit which saw the original 'Crazy Gang' reach the top flight just nine years after being elected into the Football League, and arguably their greatest achievement came in 1988 when they lifted the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Of course, the goalscorer on that famous day at Wembley was none other than Lawrie Sanchez, who hit the headlines as a manager in 2001 for guiding the Wanderers to a reunion with his former club in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
This time, it was Wycombe who needed to call on the spirit of the underdog as they trailed 2-0 at half-time at Adams Park, and the end of a heroic cup run seemed inevitable. However, spurred on by the never-say-die attitude of players and fans alike, the Blues clinched an unlikely replay as Michael Simpson and an offside-looking Steve Brown swung the pendulum back in the Wanderers' favour.
Just three days later, thousands of supporters made the short journey from South Bucks to Selhurst Park, hooked on the excitement that the cup run was causing throughout the town. And how glad they were that they went.
Over two hours of the most intense, breathtaking football concluded with an 8-7 win on penalties for Sanchez's Wycombe, who had lost two star strikers to injury, had a red card shown to Simpson, saved a last-minute penalty and equalised with virtually the last kick of extra-time.
Only one of the players involved in that epic battle seven years ago remains in either the AFC Wimbledon or Wycombe camps today and it's ex-Jamaica international Marcus Gayle, who signed for the Dons in May 2007 and retired in the summer before taking up the role as reserve team manager.
In another interesting connection, Gayle works alongside Stuart Cash, who is employed as assistant manager at the Kingsmeadow club and was part of Wycombe's 1991 FA Trophy winning side.
And the man in charge at AFC Wimbledon is Terry Brown, who was manager of Hayes when they gave Wycombe the fright of their lives in an FA Cup first round tie in 2001. Just seven months after the Blues had faced Liverpool in the semi-final, Sanchez's men had to recover from a 2-1 deficit against the non-league outfit before going on to win 4-3.
Even despite the Dons' relatively short history since their re-birth in 2002, there have been a number of players to have appeared for both sides. Current Wombles midfielder Tom Davis appeared as a trialist for Wycombe in a pre-season friendly against Charlton in 2004, Blues defender Lewis Christon spent time on loan at Kingsmeadow last season and former Wanderers youth team products Nick Beasant and Lewis Cook have both spent time with the Dons.
There are some who believe that the FA Cup doesn't really take significance until the 'big guns' of the top two divisions enter the competition in the third round, but the 90 minutes of football in a fortnight's time could provide greater entertainment than any of the later stages of the tournament. With Wycombe currently top of League Two and the Dons continuing to make huge strides in their quest to reach the lofty heights of their predecessors, the first round of the cup could hardly produce a better draw.
In the meantime, re-live the memories of that famous 2001 encounter on Wanderers World by clicking here. Just don't ask Peter Taylor what happened in the next round!
The 'magic of the cup' put its powers to use in the most romantic fashion on Sunday afternoon when Wycombe Wanderers were paired with AFC Wimbledon in the first round of this season's FA Cup, producing no end of fascinating connections between the two clubs and the greatest competition in world football.
Supporters of most of the clubs involved in the draw would have waited with intrigue after ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown held up the ball numbered 67 in Sunday's draw, indicating that the Dons would face a home tie in their first ever appearance in the post-qualifying stages of the competition.
And when former Tottenham star Ossie Ardiles produced the number 47 from the bowl at Soho Square, Wanderers fans were rubbing their hands in anticipation of one of the most intriguing cup ties in recent years.
AFC Wimbledon were formed in 2002 as a continuation of the former Wimbledon FC, beginning life in the Combined Counties League following a series of player trials and fund-raising activities to give the new club the best possible chance of success.
And it didn't take long for the celebratory champagne to flow. Boosted by four-figure attendances which dwarved the turn-outs of their divisional rivals, the 'Wombles' quickly reached the Ryman League and achieved promotion to the Blue Square South in the summer, just two levels away from their ultimate dream of climbing into the Football League.
Their rise to prominence has shown all the signs of the classic 'Wimbledon' spirit which saw the original 'Crazy Gang' reach the top flight just nine years after being elected into the Football League, and arguably their greatest achievement came in 1988 when they lifted the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Of course, the goalscorer on that famous day at Wembley was none other than Lawrie Sanchez, who hit the headlines as a manager in 2001 for guiding the Wanderers to a reunion with his former club in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
This time, it was Wycombe who needed to call on the spirit of the underdog as they trailed 2-0 at half-time at Adams Park, and the end of a heroic cup run seemed inevitable. However, spurred on by the never-say-die attitude of players and fans alike, the Blues clinched an unlikely replay as Michael Simpson and an offside-looking Steve Brown swung the pendulum back in the Wanderers' favour.
Just three days later, thousands of supporters made the short journey from South Bucks to Selhurst Park, hooked on the excitement that the cup run was causing throughout the town. And how glad they were that they went.
Over two hours of the most intense, breathtaking football concluded with an 8-7 win on penalties for Sanchez's Wycombe, who had lost two star strikers to injury, had a red card shown to Simpson, saved a last-minute penalty and equalised with virtually the last kick of extra-time.
Only one of the players involved in that epic battle seven years ago remains in either the AFC Wimbledon or Wycombe camps today and it's ex-Jamaica international Marcus Gayle, who signed for the Dons in May 2007 and retired in the summer before taking up the role as reserve team manager.
In another interesting connection, Gayle works alongside Stuart Cash, who is employed as assistant manager at the Kingsmeadow club and was part of Wycombe's 1991 FA Trophy winning side.
And the man in charge at AFC Wimbledon is Terry Brown, who was manager of Hayes when they gave Wycombe the fright of their lives in an FA Cup first round tie in 2001. Just seven months after the Blues had faced Liverpool in the semi-final, Sanchez's men had to recover from a 2-1 deficit against the non-league outfit before going on to win 4-3.
Even despite the Dons' relatively short history since their re-birth in 2002, there have been a number of players to have appeared for both sides. Current Wombles midfielder Tom Davis appeared as a trialist for Wycombe in a pre-season friendly against Charlton in 2004, Blues defender Lewis Christon spent time on loan at Kingsmeadow last season and former Wanderers youth team products Nick Beasant and Lewis Cook have both spent time with the Dons.
There are some who believe that the FA Cup doesn't really take significance until the 'big guns' of the top two divisions enter the competition in the third round, but the 90 minutes of football in a fortnight's time could provide greater entertainment than any of the later stages of the tournament. With Wycombe currently top of League Two and the Dons continuing to make huge strides in their quest to reach the lofty heights of their predecessors, the first round of the cup could hardly produce a better draw.
In the meantime, re-live the memories of that famous 2001 encounter on Wanderers World by clicking here. Just don't ask Peter Taylor what happened in the next round!
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