AFC Wimbledon away preview

[Sweden Stag]

For the first time in six seasons, the Stags travel to AFC Wimbledon for a League fixture. After winning the 2015-16 playoff final to a 2-0 scoreline against Plymouth Argyle featuring current Stag Hiram Boateng, AFC Wimbledon managed six seasons in League One before relegation last season, a relegation comfirmed by just two home wins (fourteen home draws) and a very long winless run of 27 games which stretched back to early on in December 2021. In six League One campaigns, their inaugural one was their best, finishing in 15th position. The other campaigns were ones of fighting relegation, a fight which last season was to be unsuccessful.

While AFC Wimbledon won all four games against the Stags in the BSP days, the first of those to a 2-0 scoreline at Wimbledon in 2010, the Stags have lost just one League Two fixture against AFC Wimbledon as well as home and away, the latest one exactly six years after the first-ever game between the sides.

The first-ever FL fixture between the sides on December 14, 2013, saw a man-of-the-match-performance by home keeper Ross Worner in the so far only goal-less fixture between the clubs.

And in the 2014-15 season, the goal-keeping heroics of Dimitar Evtimov, earning him Stagsnet rating 10, was instrumental in a monumental Stags performance with one player down for an hour, finally winning thanks to a Vadaine Oliver strike during a display reminiscent of the one at Cambridge a decade earlier. That game included two Stagsnet 10 ratings and was billed as unbelievable stuff.

Early on in the 2015-16 season, the sides played out a 1-1 draw at Mansfield. AFC Wimbledon went in front early on, but the Stags equalized thanks to a brilliant free-kick fifteen minutes inside the game. More on previous Stags v AFC Wimbledon clashes in the Match Centre.

Earlier this season, the Stags staged one of this season’s biggest come-backs, and one of the biggest ever in two decades of preview history. From being 2-0 down at headquarters inside the first sixteen minutes, the Stags bounced back and in the end gained a 5-2 victory with five different scorers. That means also that both sides have won to a 5-2 scoreline in preview history as AFC Wimbledon did that in their final Conference National campaign in 2010-11.

After winning three games on the spin without conceding, the Stags crashed 2-5 at home last weekend to an on the day better Salford side, while AFC Wimbledon lost their midweek home fixture against Stevenage and have drawn half of their League Two fixtures played this year. On the other hand, the Stags have scored in every League Two game played in 2023.

Below are some facts on AFC Wimbledon:

AFC Wimbledon were formed in May 2002 when it first became known that the then in the second FL tier playing Wimbledon were to re-locate to Milton Keynes. Lots of Wimbledon fans meant is was a serious break of tradition in doing that.

AFC Wimbledon started in United Counties League in 2002-03, finishing third, then the following campaign winning that League. The rise up the non-league ladder had started. In 2004-05, AFC Wimbledon won the Ryman League First Division, then failing twice in the playoffs before winning third time lucky. As a promoted side, AFC won Blue Square South at the first attempt, three points ahead of Hampton & Richmond, the latter then losing the playoffs final against Hayes & Yeading.

In their first BSP season, AFC Wimbledon more than held their own in the BSP, eventually finishing below the playoff zone. And at the end of the second one, AFC Wimbledon gained EFL status by beating Luton Town on penalties in the final.

Still in the short history of AFC Wimbledon, some players have managed to play for that club as well as for the Stags. The first one was Shane Smeltz, the New Zealand World Cup scorer against Italy in June 2010. Smeltz was one of the players recruited in Carlton Palmer's, to print the least, turbulent regime at the Stags in 2004-05. Smeltz managed five Stags games (four as sub), the first a 1-1 draw at Rochdale on January 15, 2005, and three of those were in fact won! His last Stags game was the goalless draw at Rushden & Diamonds on February 26, 2005. After his Stags adventure, Smeltz played one season for AFC Wimbledon (details on games not available) before playing the 2006-07 campaign at now defunct Halifax Town, also a former FL side, now succeeded in the BSP aka National League by FC Halifax Town. Smeltz managed 31 games (most as sub) for the Shaymen, scoring twice.

The second one is Adam Barrett. He figured for the Stags on 37 occasions, three of those as a sub, in the early 2000’s and has starred for nine different clubs in his career and played for AFC Wimbledon on loan from Gillingham in the epic fixture mentioned above. Barrett played in half of AFC Wimbledon’s games in 2014-15, then was in his second spell at Southend before retiring after having played a dozen League games for the Shrimpers at the start of the 2016-17 League One campaign.

In the latest away fixture between the sides, a 3-1 Stags defeat on January 16, 2016, Ryan Sweeney, now at Dundee, was an unused sub for AFC Wimbledon. Sweeney managed a dozen games on loan from Crystal Palace spread over two seasons for AFC Wimbledon and managed a little more than a century of games in Stags colours.

Alfie Potter had a short spell at AFC Wimbledon in 2015, late went on to play 39 games for the Stags, but came on as sub against the Stags at One Call on March 17, 2015, when the Stags won to a 2-1 scoreline.

Just after the start of the current campaign, the Stags recruited Anthony Hartigan from AFC Wimbledon. He spent five seasons there, debut in a 2-0 defeat at Fleetwood on August 19, 2017, and has also had a short loan spell at Newport County in 2021.

Luke O’Neill has had about a dozen clubs under his belt during his career. 43 Stags games in 2011-12, had a two-season spell at AFC Wimbledon a few seasons ago.

Ollie Palmer, scorer of the Stags’ first League goal upon EFL return at Wycombe in August 2013, played 23 games for AFC Wimbledon in 2020-21, 41 games in total before being sold to Wrexham early on last year.

Previous games:

2009-10 0-1 2010-04-10 0-2 2010-01-16 BSP aka National League
2010-11 2-5 2010-10-05 1-2 2011-04-22 BSP aka National League
2013-14 1-0 2014-03-29 0-0 2013-12-14 League Two
2014-15 2-1 2015-03-17 1-0 2014-12-20 League Two
2015-16 1-1 2015-09-05 1-3 2016-01-16 League Two
2022-23 5-2 2022-08-16 (at Mansfield) League Two

Come on Mansfield!