Fans who have been fortunate enough to step inside the new stadium, which has an initial 9,capacity but has the potential to be expanded to 20,, have been impressed. The club will display banners and flags from supporters in the stands, but Dons chief executive Joe Palmer has appealed to fans to refrain from gathering outside their new home.
The journey isn't really complete until all the fans can be there and celebrate what we have all achieved. Most AFC Wimbledon supporters still retain animosity towards fellow League One side MK Dons - a club which effectively came into existence by extinguishing the life of another. The decision by the independent commission which sanctioned the relocation remains a controversial part of English football's history. But that does not detract from AFC Wimbledon's own story, of fans rebuilding a club from nothing - beginning with open trials for players on Wimbledon Common.
Every time we have had a big event, like the League Two play-off final at Wembley, you have seen supporters come out in their thousands.
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Tucked away by what looks like flats. Inside had 3 stands of similar height with a taller main stand. The upper half of this looked like executive boxes. Tidy and functional ground but seems to have sold out for home games so far so i'm questioning whether the capacity is large enough. Oxford took the lead just on HT then Wimbledon headed an equaliser early in the 2nd half.
It really could have went either way but Wimbledon took their chances while Oxford didn't. Once the game turned in Wimbledons' favour the place was at times rocking. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game I left in injury time and walked to Earlsfield which i believe is the nearest. I was on a train by 5. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out Travel went smoothly.
Decent game and another ground ticked off. I'm pleased for the Wimbledon fans to finally have a place of their own after so many years. They've been on one hell of a rollercoaster ride. My club Newcastle are going through a lean time but it just shows you that betters times might return one day.
Matthew 8th September Plough Lane is brand new and was excited to see a new stadium. Also drinking spots are plentiful in London so a good away day. I wouldn't say it was a 'short walk'. But easy enough, straight road down from the station and on your right. The latter was full of good natured and relaxed Pompey fans. Number of food outlets on the walk to the ground like KFC etc heavily advise you to eat before the ground..
The ground is tucked away inside apartment blocks so can't see it really. The away stand and 2 others looked like temporary metal scaffolding stands The food and drink outlet was massively overcrowded with Pompey fans.
A steward told me they sometimes have up to away fans, god knows how they handle that many! Toilets and food outlet was in a portable cabin type joint. Pompey conceded within 30 seconds and conceded 5 by the end of the game Stewards were heavy handed with my mate as he brought a beer into the stand, he tried to walk back out to drink it and stewards got heavy handed.
Chicken Tikka pie was lovely though.. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game Pretty easy.
Same old min walk back to Earlsfield station. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out The ground that Wimbledon used to be in was horrible and unfit for purpose. This ground looks slightly better but still not fit for purpose. Temporary feel, terrible service for food and drink and toilets for away fans. Positives are: 1.
It's London so loads of pubs, loads of transport etc. Small compact roof makes it easy for fans to make noise. John Aubrey 10th September I got the train into London, quick few stops on the underground and then a further train to Earlsfield. From there it was an easy 15 minute walk down the High Street.
Walked up to the ground, got in there for about 2 and had a beer. Home fans seemed friendly enough when i was on route to the ground. Quite a tidy little ground actually although it is surrounded by flats and tallish buildings so appears from nowhere however there is good signage directed away fans to the away end.
We as we usually do have plenty of possession. Wimbledon a decent side who played a high pressing game throughout which unsettled us as we like to play out from the back.
We took the lead on the stroke of HT and should've really gone on to kill the game second half however our achilles heel of defending crosses reared it's ugly head and before we knew it we were down before Wimbledon rounded the game off with a well taken goal on the counter attack. Stewards were friendly enough and good, neat and tidy facilities in the ground. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game Easy walk back to the station, i'd highly recommend travelling by train as it was so quick and easy.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out Was buzzing beforehand as it was a great chance to go top, started well but ended very poorly, not a good day at the office at all. I went to the original Plough Lane many times as a child, so I was especially looking forward to ticking off this new ground. I traveled via the tram from Croydon to Wimbledon then got the bus to the stadium.
I went straight to the ground and bought just a sandwich as it was an exceptionally hot night! From the road you can only see the flats that surround the stadium, then once inside I was impressed by the neatness and the sight lines.
The game had a carefree, open, attacking quality with a fabulous atmosphere, especially the traveling Pompey fans. I just bought a couple of cokes, which were expensive. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game The ground is quite a way from a station, so I waited for the back to Wimbledon town centre and then got the tram back home.
The does not run very frequently for night games and is rather small, so fans may find this difficult with a bigger crowd. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out I enjoyed visiting the stadium and would be keen to see the London Broncos RL team there when they move in next year.
Liam Williams 17th September New ground for me and I support Southampton so I was well and truly a Dons fan for the day. One of the reasons I was looking forward to this was because I had looked into the history of Wimbledon and watch some YouTube clips about the move from Plough lane before I was born.
So was excited to see a club move back home. Arrived by train, came down from Clapham Junction and got off the train at Wimbledon. I was told by a Dons fan that there is a bus you can catch but we had time on our side and fancied a walk. Went to a pub opposite Wimbledon train station. Was a green king pub with a few Dons fans.
Spoke to a few fans for directions and everyone was more than friendly. Its a lovely ground. Really smart. Due to it being a Papa Johns group game they only had the main stand for home supports and one stand behind the goal open. Would of been amazing to go and visit when it was full. The club let themselves down with the food and drink kiosks inside the ground. They only opened half of the kiosks and people were queuing for 25min and longer to grab some food.
This did change at HT because they then opened up all the kiosks so they did redeem themselves here. I think there were a few issues with seats because lots of people were sat in the wrong seat. If it was just the odd person you can say it was down to the individual not the club double booking seats but for it to be so many people sat in the wrong place it seemed odd to me.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game Super easy to get away from the ground. Walked back the way we walked to the ground. Jumped on the train home with no fuss at all.
Good service to London. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out Good evening away. Glad to get it done and would return for a league game when the ground is full.
Watched a great game of football and Pompey lost so all in all was a successful evening. Alf Cullen 18th September Another new ground to tick off with the real Dons back at their spiritual home. Train from Plymouth to London Paddington on Friday. Then mainline train to Wimbledon. Hotel 5 minutes from Wimbledon station. Walked back to station Saturday lunchtime and got bus to Wimbledon Stadium. Ignore the directions on the Wimbledon website regarding stations. The above route is easier, nearer and quicker.
Turn right out of Wimbledon Station, right again onto Alexander Riad and the bus goes from stop A on your left. Bought a programme from outside the main entrance then walked up Summerstown to Riverside Road which is the only access to the away gate.
There are no turnstiles just a metal barrier where your tickets are scanned. It clearly says on these to download to phone or print at home. If you scan the QR code to your phone they will not let you in. For some reason you must have the bit of A4. I asked why and they said to avoid copying!! Obviously never heard of a photocopier. The Dons fans on the bus chatted away but could not believe Argyle had sold there full allocation!
I admire what the Dons fans have done to build this ground through their own efforts but it could be any ground. All very standard apart from the main stand which has some nice but very under patronised executive boxes.
Wimbledon website had said all home stands had sold out but this was clearly not the case. Had a burger cold and a Diet Coke warm. Before the game. Atmosphere in the ground was cracking with Argyle fans keeping up an almost constant wall of noise. Home fans did get behind their team when they were on the attack which was quite often.
Despite having only a third of the possession, yet another Ryan Hardie goal gave Argyle the points. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game On leaving the ground the police take you through an area that bears a distinct resemblance to Beirut after the explosion.
Unsure why as this finally takes you back to Summerstown but about m down the road from Riverside Riaf. Walked back down Summerstown to Plough Lane and got bus back to Station and hotel.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out Another good away day with Argyle. Tight game but you have to take your chances in this league. Alan 19th September I went by tube but had to get off at tooting broadway because the district line was down. Didn't see any home fans before the game genuine until i was at the actual stadium. I got a budwieser and a sausage roll in the ground. Very annoyed they advertised magners but didnt serve it this is the 1st season with away fans too!!! The ground itself looked nice from a distance.
However up close it looks and feels incomplete and very temporary. From the metal floors to the portaloos and what looks like a makeshift food and drink area. The game was a good 1. The home team started very well but we dug deep for the win. The home fans were pretty good for a change. But as you would expect the argyle fans were fantastic as usual. The stewards seemed very friendly. Plough Lane is going to be a fantastic day out for both home and away fans, a stadium which not only is aesthetically pleasing but also offers so many different things on a matchday.
Overall, the thought of a fully packed first home game at Plough Lane is enough to bring a tear to a Wimbledon fans eye. Actually seeing it, on the other hand, will be awe-inspiring for many years to come and in light of all the news in football recently, this just highlights how important fans are to the beautiful game.
This is a really well written article. If you have no knowledge about the history of Wimbledon football club, this article should certainly help. Would you like to get the best stories of the week directly in your inbox? Enter your details below to receive weekly updates and opportunities. First name. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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