Wimbledon Personalised Football Diary
Terrific Diary Gifts for Fans of the Dons!
Wimbledon FC was a London-based football club until 21st July, 2004. After decades of non-league football, the Dons entered the Fourth Division in 1977 and took just eight years to reach the top flight. Wimbledon stayed in the top division for fourteen seasons and won the FA Cup in 1988, beatingLiverpool in the final. This would be the club’s only major trophy, but other triumphs included further cup semi-finals and the highest finish of sixth place in the Premiership. The success of Wimbledon FC was an incredible achievement, especially as the club’s finances had always remained precarious. An outstanding football academy and good management had been vital to the Dons’ top flight status, but inflation soon began to cause problems and relegation in 2000 was disastrous.
At the turn of the century, owners considered relocating Wimbledon FC to make more profit. The Dons moved to Milton Keynes in 2003 and Wimbledon FC was effectively ended at the close of the season. New owner Peter Winkelman re-branded the club and named it Milton Keynes Dons FC. Fans had long been disillusioned with this turn of events and had already formed AFC Wimbledon, as a means of supporting a local team.
Our Personalised Wimbledon Diaries feature a fascinating selection match reports on some of the best games and results in the club’s history. Starting from the month of your choice, these A5 Diaries are a great gift idea for any fan of the Dons and they will bring back some wonderful memories of Wimbledon’s glory days.
Diary Highlights
The Personalised Wimbledon Diaries begin in 1975 with the famous 0-0 draw against Leeds United in the FA Cup fourth round. The Dons were still a non-league side at the time and they had already created history in the campaign. When Wimbledon beat Burnley FC in the first round, they become the first non-league club to beat a top flight team away in the FA Cup. Leeds were expected to provide even stiffer competition, as they were the reigning First Division Champions. The Dons made the national news by drawing with the top team in England and fans outside of Wimbledon began to look at the club with much more respect.
Another highlight of our A5 Diary is a report on the 0-1 win against Huddersfield Town in 1986. This match was the last fixture of the season and the win meant that Wimbledon had ensured promotion to Division One for the first time in the club’s history. The Dons had progressed from the Fourth Division to the top flight in the space of just five years.
In 1988, Wimbledon FC was still enjoying First Division football, but a famous cup run would again be the highlight of the club’s season. Wimbledon progressed all the way to the FA Cup final, where they would face firm favourites Liverpool. Lawrie Sanchez scored for the Dons and then captain Dave Beasant became the first ever goalkeeper to save a penalty in the final of the competition. Wimbledon FC eventually won the match 1-0, securing the club’s first (and only) major trophy.
Other fantastic matches covered in these Diary Gifts include the two famous cup wins against Nottingham Forest in the 1980s, two cup victories against Manchester United, and two stunning league games against Chelsea FC.
Diary Contents At A Glance
Our Wimbledon FC Football Diaries feature newspaper reports on the following matches:
- 26th January 1975 - Leeds United 0 Wimbledon 0
- 5th October 1983 - Wimbledon 2 Nottingham Forest 0
- 31st January 1985 - Wimbledon 1 Nottingham Forest 0
- 4th May 1986 - Huddersfield 0 Wimbledon 1 (promoted to First Division)
- 15th May 1988 - Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0 (FA Cup Final)
- 15th May 1988 - Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0 (FA Cup Final)
- 3rd November 1988 - Wimbledon 2 Manchester United 1
- 3rd December 1989 - Chelsea 2 Wimbledon 5
- 14th October 1996 - Wimbledon 4 Sheffield Wednesday 2
- 21st October 1996 - Chelsea 2 Wimbledon 4
- 5th February 1997 - Wimbledon 1 Manchester United 0
- 24th February 1997 - Arsenal 0 Wimbledon 1
Alternative Wimbledon FC Football Gifts
These popular Personalised Diaries are just one of the gift ideas we have for fans of the Dons. We also offer Personalised Wimbledon Calendars and Personalised Wimbledon Football Books, as well as other general football gifts, such as Spoof Football Headlines and Personalised Football Commentaries.