Whilst Newcastle have started their Premier League campaign in fine style, what many fans most want from this season is for the Toon to finally end their 69 year wait to land a major trophy.
The Carabao Cup represents the best chance for Eddie Howe’s men to get hold of some silverware, and thanks to a nervy penalty victory over Notts Forest in round two, they have reached the last 32 of the competition. Next up, is a trip to League Two AFC Wimbledon in round three. Here’s a little look at what the Toon can expect from their trip to the Cherry Red Records Stadium:
Club History
AFC Wimbledon was founded in 2002 by fans of the original Wimbledon Football Club who were strongly opposed to the club’s relocation to Milton Keynes. As, technically, the club was starting from scratch, they began life in the Combined Counties Football League — the ninth tier of the football pyramid. However, backed by strong local support they rapidly advanced through the football pyramid and made it all the way to the Football League in just nine years.
In 2016, they won the League Two play-offs to reach the third flight for the first time in their history. They spent six years there, before relegation in 2022. Since then, they have finished in 17th and 11th place in League Two, but fans are confident that this year’s squad can make a serious bid for promotion.
League Two Form
It has been a fantastic start to the League Two season for Wimbledon. They have picked up four wins from their opening five games and currently sit just one point off the top of the table. Their form at the Cherry Red Records Stadium has been the key to that success, and they have picked up maximum points from their three home contests. Their most notable victory occurred last weekend, when they thrashed bitter rivals MK Dons 3-0, with midfielder Callum Maycock claiming two of the goals.
Carabao Cup form
The Dons pulled off a huge upset in round two of the competition, as they defeated Premier League new boys Ipswich Town on penalties. That shoot-out success followed a gripping 2-2 draw in which goals from Bugiel and Matty Stevens had put Wimbledon on the brink of a second-round win, before a late Conor Chaplin equalizer forced the game into extra time. In the first round of the competition, Wimbledon triumphed 1-2 at Bromley, with striker Joe Pigott scoring the winning goal.
This will be the Don’s second-ever appearance in the third round of the League Cup. They reached this stage of the competition in 2021, before falling to a 0-3 home defeat against Arsenal. Last season, Wimbledon lost 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but gave their illustrious opponents a big scare by opening the scoring in the very first minute.
Key players
Omar Bugiel – Lebanon striker Bugiel was the Dons’ player of the season in 2023-2024. His 14 goals in 45 games also made him the club’s second top scorer, and led to manager Johnny Jackson commenting that the team struggled to perform whenever Bugiel was unavailable for selection.
Owen Goodman – Since joining the club on loan from Crystal Palace in the Summer, Goodman has been in superb form. He has kept four clean sheets in his first five league games for the Dons, pulling off a number of fine saves in the process.
The stadium
Cherry Red Records Stadium is a quintessential lower-league ground. The stadium opened in 2020 and is located just 200 yards away from the original Plough Lane ground that was the Dons’ home venue, before the original club relocated to Milton Keynes in 2002. The ground has a capacity of 9,215, although their highest-ever attendance is just 8,595.
For the League Cup game, Toon fans will be located in the North Stand. And whilst the view will be somewhat different for fans used to buying football tickets to Chelsea, Arsenal and other huge London clubs’ games, they can still expect an excellent atmosphere and a very good view of the action.
Previous encounters
This will be the first meeting between Newcastle and Wimbledon since that club’s reformation in 2002. The Toon took on the original Wimbledon FC a total of 23 times, with the Dons holding a narrow 10-7 advantage in the head-to-head stats.
The last game between these two teams took place in January 2000. On that occasion, goals from Marcus Gayle and Robbie Earle gave the Dons a 2-0 victory. Newcastle United’s last victory in the fixture came courtesy of a 3-1 victory in 1998. Duncan Ferguson was the Magpies’ hero in that game, with two goals, whilst Nobby Solano also got his name on the scoresheet.
Please note that it has been formally recognised that AFC Wimbledon is the rightful owner of the heritage associated with Wimbledon Town FC who won both the FA Amatuer Cup and the FA cup itself, as well as having several successful seasons in the Premier League.
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