Almost 30 years after
Wimbledon left SW19, AFC Wimbledon will host Doncaster Rovers at the new Plough Lane on Tuesday
For AFC Wimbledon’s manager, Glyn Hodges, Tuesday night’s long-awaited return to Plough Lane will be particularly poignant. Hodges was part of the Wimbledon side that shook up the
Football establishment in the 1980s, rising from the depths of the fourth tier to the top flight before famously lifting the FA Cup a year after his departure for Newcastle United in 1987.
After the then owner, Sam Hammam, sold Plough Lane to developers in 1991, the club endured a nomadic existence for more than a decade until they relocated to Milton Keynes in 2003. AFC Wimbledon were formed by supporters opposed to the move and almost three decades on from the last Wimbledon match in Merton, the opening of a 9,000-capacity stadium 250 metres from the old ground is the culmination of a remarkable journey. Doncaster Rovers are the visitors for a League One match.