AFC Wimbledon Promotion from Isthmian League Premier Division
AFC Wimbledon fans and players celebrating promotion to the Conference South after beating Staines Town 2–1 in the Isthmian League Premier Division Play-off Final at the end of the 2007–08 season.

AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club, currently based in Merton, Greater London. The club was formed on 30 May 2002 by supporters of Wimbledon Football Club, led by Kris Stewart, Marc Jones and Trevor Williams who strongly opposed the decision of an independent commission appointed by The Football Association to allow the relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes, to be subsequently renamed as Milton Keynes Dons.[1]

AFC Wimbledon was accepted into the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League for the 2002–03 season.[2] The club's average home attendance at league fixtures for their first season exceeded 3,000 – higher than the average attendance in the same season of Wimbledon F.C., who were still playing in the First Division (now the Football League Championship).[3] AFC Wimbledon have also set a record for the longest run of unbeaten league games at any level of men's semi-professional or professional football in the United Kingdom.[4] The team remained unbeaten for 78 league matches between 22 February 2003 (a 2–0 defeat at home to Withdean 2000) and 4 December 2004 (a 2–0 defeat at Cray Wanderers).[5]

The club went on to achieve 5 promotions in 9 seasons, ensuring that they were the first club to be formed in the 21st century to achieve Football League status, and making them the youngest of the 72 Football League clubs.[6] On 30 May 2016, AFC Wimbledon achieved their 6th promotion to Football League One after victory in the 2016 Football League Two play-off final, exactly 14 years to the day since the club's formation.[7]

Key

The Division is shown in italics when it changes due to promotion, relegation or league reorganisation.

Champions ↑ Runners-up Automatic Promotion † Promotion via Play-offs ‡ Relegated

Seasons

Season League FA Cup Other competitions Top scorer Average home
attendance 		References
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Name
2002–03 Combined Counties League
Premier Division 		46 36 3 7 125 46 111 3rd N/A London Senior Cup R4 Kevin Cooper 37 3,003 [8][9][10][11]
Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup R2
2003–04 Combined Counties League
Premier Division 		46 42 4 0 180 32 130 1st ↑
Champions 		FA Vase R6 Kevin Cooper 53 2,606 [12][13][14][15][16]
London Senior Cup R1
Surrey Senior Cup R3
Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup W
2004–05 Isthmian League
Division One 		42 29 10 3 91 33 97 1st ↑
Champions 		QR3 FA Trophy R1 Richard Butler 24 2,858 [17][18][19][20][21][22]
London Senior Cup R4
Surrey Senior Cup W
Isthmian League Cup QF
2005–06 Isthmian League
Premier Division 		42 22 11 9 67 36 77 4th[A] QR2 FA Trophy R1 Shane Smeltz 19 2,706 [23][24][25][26][27][28]
London Senior Cup R4
Surrey Senior Cup RU
Isthmian League Cup QF
2006–07 Isthmian League
Premier Division 		42 21 15 6 76 37 75[B] 5th[C] QR4 FA Trophy R2[B] Roscoe Dsane 17 2,512 [29][30][31][32][33][34]
London Senior Cup R1
Surrey Senior Cup R2[B]
Isthmian League Cup R4
2007–08 Isthmian League
Premier Division 		42 22 9 11 81 47 75 3rd[D]
Promoted via
Play-offs‡ 		QR3 FA Trophy R3 Steven Ferguson 10 2,603 [35][36][37][38][39][40]
London Senior Cup QF
Surrey Senior Cup R2
Isthmian League Cup R2
2008–09 Conference
South 		42 26 10 6 86 36 88 1st ↑
Champions 		R1 FA Trophy R1 Jon Main 33 3,219 [41][42][43][44][45][46]
Conference League Cup R1S
London Senior Cup R1
Surrey Senior Cup R3
2009–10 Conference
National 		44 18 10 16 61 47 64 8th R1 FA Trophy R3 Danny Kedwell 21 3,535 [47][48][49][50][51]
London Senior Cup RU
Surrey Senior Cup QF
2010–11 Conference
National 		46 27 9 10 83 47 90 2nd[E]
Promoted via
Play-offs‡ 		R2 FA Trophy R2 Danny Kedwell 23 3,486 [52][53][54][55][56]
London Senior Cup SF
Surrey Senior Cup R2
2011–12 Football League
Two 		46 15 9 22 62 78 54 16th R2 Football League Cup Prelim Jack Midson 18 4,295 [57][58][59][60][61][62]
Football League Trophy R3
London Senior Cup SF
Surrey Senior Cup QF
2012–13 Football League
Two 		46 14 11 21 54 76 53 20th R2 Football League Cup R1 Jack Midson 13 4,060 [63][64][65][66][67][68]
Football League Trophy R1
London Senior Cup W
Surrey Senior Cup SF
2013–14 Football League
Two 		46 14 14 18 49 57 53 [F] 20th R1 Football League Cup R1 Michael Smith 9 4,135 [69][70][71][72][73][74]
Football League Trophy R1
London Senior Cup W
Surrey Senior Cup R2
2014–15 Football League
Two 		46 13 11 22 42 63 50 15th R3 Football League Cup R1 Adebayo Akinfenwa 15 4,073 [75][76][77][78][79]
Football League Trophy R3
London Senior Cup R1
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2015–16 Football League
Two 		46 21 12 13 64 50 75 7th[G]
Promoted via
Play-offs‡ 		R1 Football League Cup R1 Lyle Taylor 20 4,138 [80][81][82][83][84]
Football League Trophy R1
London Senior Cup R2
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2016–17 Football League
One 		46 13 18 15 52 55 57 15th R3 Football League Cup R1 Lyle Taylor 14 4,477
Football League Trophy R2
London Senior Cup QF
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2017–18 Football League
One 		46 13 14 19 47 58 53 18th R3 Football League Cup R1 Lyle Taylor 14 4,325
Football League Trophy R2
London Senior Cup R2
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2018–19 Football League
One 		46 13 11 22 42 63 50 20th R5 Football League Cup R2 Joe Pigott 15 4,297
Football League Trophy R2
London Senior Cup N/A
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2019–20 Football League
One 		35 8 11 16 39 52 35 20th[H] R1 Football League Cup R1 Marcus Forss 11 4,310
Football League Trophy Group Stage
London Senior Cup N/A
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2020–21 Football League
One 		46 12 15 19 54 70 51 19th R2 Football League Cup R1 Joe Pigott 21 N/A
Football League Trophy QF
London Senior Cup N/A
Surrey Senior Cup N/A
2021–22 Football League
One 		46 6 19 21 49 75 37 23rd ↓
Relegated 		R3 Football League Cup R3 Jack Rudoni 12 7,704 [85][86]
Football League Trophy Group stage
2022–23 Football League
Two 		46 11 15 20 48 60 48 21st R2 Football League Cup R1 Ethan Chislett 9 7,604 [87][88]
Football League Trophy R3

Notes

A. ^ AFC Wimbledon were defeated 2–1 by Fisher Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off semi-final on 2 May 2006, preventing the club from achieving three back-to-back promotions.[89]
B. ^ AFC Wimbledon were deducted 3-points and fined £400 (reduced from an 18-point deduction on appeal)[90] for the fielding of Jermaine Darlington who had not been registered correctly by the club as he required 'international clearance' in order to be transferred from the Football Association of Wales to the Football Association of England and had therefore played in three matches whilst still ineligible.[91] The 'Darlington affair' also resulted in expulsion from the Surrey Senior Cup and the FA Trophy that season.[92]
C. ^ AFC Wimbledon were defeated 1–0 by Bromley in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off semi-final on 1 May 2007.[93]
D. ^ AFC Wimbledon beat Staines Town 2–1 in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off final on 3 May 2008.[94]
E. ^ AFC Wimbledon beat Luton Town 4–3 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had ended 0–0 in extra time in the 2011 Conference National play-off final on 21 May 2011.[95]
F. ^ AFC Wimbledon were deducted 3 points and given a £5,000 fine suspended for one year by a Football Disciplinary Commission hearing for the ineligible fielding of Jake Nicholson in a 4–3 win over Cheltenham Town on 22 March 2014.[96] In addition the club was required to pay the costs of the hearing.[97] It was found that the player's multiplicity contract had in fact expired on 19 March 2014 and had not been renewed on that date due to the illness of a key member of the club's administrative staff.[98]
G. ^ AFC Wimbledon beat Plymouth Argyle 2–0 in the 2016 Football League Two play-off final on 30 May 2016.[99]
H. ^ AFC Wimbledon finished the season with a 1.00 PPG (35 points in 35 matches) which finished them in 20th position above Tranmere Rovers by 0.06 PPG after League One voted to curtail the season following months of postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[100]

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