AFC Wimbledon tilbake der eventyret startet. Lille Wimbledon Wombles møtte Leeds over to kamper i FA-cupen på 70-tallet:
Neal Ardley: AFC Wimbledon will thrive again at Plough LaneCrazy Gang member relishes return home
EXCLUSIVE by SIMON AUSTIN
published 23:30, 15 Dec 2015
NEAL ARDLEY says AFC Wimbledon can bring back the glory days with their return to Plough Lane.
Merton Council have granted permission for the club to go back to its spiritual home.
Work will begin on a new 11,000-seater ground next season on the nearby Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium site, some 200 yards from the original Plough Lane pitch, with a move-in date scheduled for 2018.
Current manager Ardley, 43, was a trainee when Wimbledon were last at Plough Lane in the legendary days of the Crazy Gang.
And he hopes he will be there to lead AFC Wimbledon out on their return to their historic home where they played from 1912-1991. AFC were founded by fans in 2002 following the decision of Wimbledon to relocate to Milton Keynes.
Ardley said: “It’s a great feeling to be going home. I’ve been with the club since I was 11 and am yellow and blue through and through.
“To lead the club out on their return to Plough Lane would be an absolute dream. This can be the start of another great era and the whole club feels like it’s on the up. Plough Lane can become a real fortress for us again.â€
Ardley rose through the ranks in the famous days of Dennis Wise, John Fashanu and Vinnie Jones. The trio struck fear into the hearts of opponents — and even their own team-mates.
And the Dons gaffer recalled: “A lot of my memories of growing up were at Plough Lane. I remember having to paint the physio’s room when I was 16.
“When the first-team lads saw me, they piled in and kicked the tins over.
“I had to scramble about on my hands and knees clearing all this paint off the floor before the manager, Terry Burton, saw it.
“Another job used to be collecting the balls after first-team training. As soon as the lads saw you coming, they’d kick the balls into the river and you’d have to go and fish them out.
“Getting a hiding was a daily occurrence. We would be jogging round the pitch and suddenly see the first team steaming towards us.
“Pretty soon there would be a stampede and they’d have you on the floor, giving you a couple of digs, rubbing your face in the dirt.
“Dennis Wise was the worst for making it as tough as possible. It was hard and it crossed the line but it was designed to make you grow a pair and become a man.â€
Wimbledon famously beat Liverpool to win the FA Cup in 1988 and enjoyed more than a decade in the top flight.
Former midfielder Ardley, who also played for Watford, Cardiff and Millwall, said: “What that team achieved was incredible when you consider their resources and where they had come from.
“It was achieved through mental and physical toughness — and a bit of ability.
“The youth players used to stand in the tunnel on match days and we would see Fash standing there with his shirt off and Vinnie getting louder and louder.
“They won a lot of games before they had even started. They would make sure there was no loo roll in the away dressing room and that the heating was turned off as well.â€
Ardley has been in charge of AFC Wimbledon for three years and theysit 13th in League Two following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Stevenage.
But his ambition is still to win promotion THIS season, with his side just five points outside the play-off spots.
He added: “I’m happy with our squad and our performances but not with the results.
“Sometimes I tell the scholars about my experiences as a young kid and they look at me open-mouthed.
“We can still use a little bit of that Crazy Gang spirit though — especially when we’re back at Plough Lane.â€
Se bilder i lenken:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/6806581/Neil-Ardley-AFC-Wimbledon-will-thrive-again-at-Plough-Lane.html
