Sunday, 28 April 2019

AFC WIMBLEDON FC -- LEAGUE ONE END OF SEASON REVIEW 2018 - 2019


This weekend is the final game of the season in League One and it's an away fixture for AFC Wimbledon who will travel to relegated Bradford City to bring the curtain down on another successful season in our short history. During our third season in League One the Dons spent most of it threatened by relegation themselves and battled superbly to recover from being ten points adrift at the bottom at one point to finally end outside the drop zone with the last game in our hands. While the efforts ON the pitch have been mixed the season is defined by a number of personnel changes to the staff. Sadly we had to make the decision to let Neal Ardley go and make a change at the top, bringing in Wally Downes did see a big improvement given he could do little to change the squad. It's been apparent that the loan players brought in by Ardley have mostly been set aside and we've relied on Dons power as well as an excellent young goalkeeper in Aaron Ramsdale (on loan from Bournemouth) 

Here are the highlights of the 2018-19 season.
1) We will be stayed up, ensuring a fourth season in League One.
2) We said farewell to our CEO Erik Samuelson, enjoy your retirement sir, and don't be a stranger in the new stadium. 
3) The New Stadium site on plough lane is being prepared and during the next year we can look forward to updates of the new build going up. 
4) We had a few appearances on TV in the FA Cup and gave West Ham a beating 4-2 which was a nice distraction to the rotten league form, and the money helps too.

Happy days. 


The club's end-of-season awards will be made at our last home league game of the season, against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday 27th April, we expect there to be a full house at Kingsmeadow as we seek the three points to aid our relegation woes.


As always there will be two main awards which will be decided by the fans vote.

The WISA Allen Batsford Player of the Year award was won last season by Deji Oshilaja (below right). This year's winner will be the latest in an illustrious line that stretches back to Kevin Cooper (Mk I), who received the inaugural award on the pitch at Molineux in 2002.

The 2019 winner was announced as Will Nightingale pictured above with his award. The defender who joined Wimbledon at the age of eight received three awards in a post-match presentation in the Your Golf Travel Bar after the vital 2-1 win against Wycombe Wanderers. Will said: “I can’t believe it, I’m genuinely shocked, and overwhelmed. I’ve been here a long time so this club means a lot to me. To come through the ranks, winning the Young Player of the Year award a few seasons ago, and now the Player of the Year award, means everything. All that matters though is retaining our League One status. As big an achievement as this is, I’ve just got to focus on Bradford and getting us over that line. It’s all I’ve been saying for the last two, three, four months. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve checked the table! I’m trying to improve my own game and get us over that line. That’s all I want to do.”

The Young Player of the Year will receive the Natalie Callow Memorial Trophy, donated by the Womble Underground Press. This award was won last year by Anthony Hartigan who is again in contention again. 
For this award, fans have been able to vote for any of the following players who have featured in the first team this season and who were 21 or under on 1 August, 2018, and the award goes to Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale who has been superb since arriving here and being thrown into a relegation scrap from day one he is fully deserving of this award. 

Alfie Egan
Anthony Hartigan
Paul Kalambayi
Aaron Ramsdale (winner)
Steve Seddon
Toby Sibbick
Tennai Watson
Tommy Wood

The full list of award winners is below:
The WISA Allen Batsford Player of the Year – Will Nightingale
The Natalie Callow Memorial Trophy for Young Player of the Year (sponsored by Womble Underground Press) – Aaron Ramsdale
AFC Wimbledon Academy Player of the Year – Reuben Collins
WDON Player of the Year – Aaron Ramsdale
Players’ Player of the Year - Joe Pigott
Junior Dons Player of the Year – Will Nightingale
Community Champion - Will Nightingale.

Well done to all the winners and we will see who is still around when we come to kick off next season, but it's another season in League One and that's wonderful news with the new stadium going up too which will be something to look ahead to throughout 2019-20. 

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