GARY ELKINS played 100 games for Wimbledon in the 1990s. In this WDSA interview he shares with us his memories, his best and worst manager, the Crazy Gang, Joe Kinnear, his MoM marking of Dennis Wise and even a mention of working with Boris Becker inside prison.
i) Let’s start with your move from Fulham to Wimbledon in 1990. You were close to joining Brentford and subsequently you were reunited with your former Fulham manager Ray Harford at Plough Lane. Give us your reasons for leaving Fulham and joining the Dons? How much a pull was Harford for you to go to Wimbledon?
Gary: I was due to sign for Brentford but a former player/coach at Fulham (Terry Bullivant) told their chairman that I had “shifty eyes” … Steve Perryman resigned from the manager’s role as the chairman took Bullivant’s advice on me and not his. I have no idea why he said such a thing… Maybe we will cross paths in the future and I can have a little chat to him ! Ray Harford was the best coach I played for at Fulham and Wimbledon, he went on to win the Premier League at Blackburn with Kenny Dalglish.
(ii) Your Dons debut on November 17 that year was against Chelsea at Plough Lane and apart from winning 2-1 your marking of former Dons favourite Dennis Wise was a highlight. Wise had just moved from Wimbledon to Chelsea for a then-club record fee of £1.6 million, while you arrived from the Cottagers for a nominal fee of £25,000. Tell us about your memories of that game and the plaudits you received.
Gary: My debut was against Chelsea and as you said I was up against Dennis Wise, etc. I got man of the match and it was all over the papers as you say about making a mockery of the transfer system. I sent the papers to Diadora and got a boot/clothing deal out of it!! I also got a mention in Dennis’s book. The game as I remember was brilliant at a very passionate Plough Lane.
(iii) Wimbledon finished seventh that season but Harford left for Blackburn Rovers 12 league games into the 1991-92 season and Sam Hammam controversially appointed Peter Withe as his replacement. It proved a disastrous decision and Withe lasted just 104 days before Joe Kinnear/Terry Burton came in and saved the Dons from relegation. Can you reflect on those times, Losing Harford, Withe and his ‘rapport’ with the players and the galvanising effect of Kinnear? What about that match up in Merseyside under Kinnear and the pre-match preparation?
Gary: I think losing Ray was a massive blow. As I said previously, he was the best coach I played under. Peter Withe came in and tried to change things both on and off the pitch. He had a ‘no jeans or tracksuits’ policy. You had to come to training in trousers, dressed smart casual. They were rules that would never work with Wimbledon (Vinnie/Fash) etc… Joe and Terry took over from Withe and lifted the spirits around the club, Terry, equally, was a great coach. The bar bill story went like this ….. We played Everton on the Wednesday night and won, we went out for a few beers, We were playing Man Utd on the following Sat and we went out for a beer or two on the Thursday (that was not allowed). On the Friday before training we were on the bus and Joe asked us what did we do the previous night… Nothing gaffer… Then Joe pulled out the receipt from the bar bill and said f**king liars.. We went on to beat Man Utd and when Vinny came into the dressing room after the game and loudly declared: Where we going next Thursday boys?” The Gaffer went mad..
(iv) You played with some great Wimbledon players in your time…. Give us some of your reflections on a few of them: Robbie Earle, Vinnie Jones, John Fashanu and Oyvind Leonhardsen?
Gary: Robbie, Leo were very fit and very professional. Mick Harford was a great bloke, he was always helping players. He was very hard but fair. Vinnie was as you see him, loud and upfront, winding people up training and in games. I’m not sure if many got on with Fash. He had his own unique way…We had some great players who went on to big money moves and enjoyed great careers.
(v) After playing 100 games for Wimbledon you left for Swindon Town in 1996. What were the circumstances of your departure?
Gary: I went to Swindon to play first team football, it was a mistake. Steve McMahon was the worst manager I have ever played for/seen. He was a bully and thought he was god. I’ve not heard any good things about him from players that played with and worked with him.
(vi) You retired after just one season at Swindon Town and you said at the time that you found it very hard adjusting post-football. You had been playing 16-17 years since leaving school. You were quoted as saying that when you walked away from football you had no qualifications for a job. So how did your role as a PE instructor inside Huntercombe prison come about?
Gary: I left Swindon and played in a couple of charity games at HMP Huntercombe, where I still work 25 years later. They were recruiting so I applied and got a job. I went to Lilleshall after my probation period to train as a PE Instructor.
(vii) Your purpose was to try and rehabilitate prisoners and help them gain qualifications in personal training. One of your most publicised successes was helping SAS: Who Dares Wins winner Moses Adeyemi when the now-personal trainer to actor celebrity Idris Elba was serving time for driving a getaway car during a robbery. Tell us about your philosophy, the personal satisfaction of the work and how you went about your PE role inside the prison?
Gary: All what you say about Adeyemi Moses is true. We teach Stoic Philosophy now, how to live a better life working on things you can control and letting go of the things you can’t.
(viii) And did you ever come across former world No.1 tennis player Boris Becker while at Huntercombe prison. The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed there for hiding £2.5m in assets to avoid paying debts while declared a bankrupt. If so, was he helpful and how did you find him as a person?
Gary: We have worked with hundreds of prisoners including Boris Becker, who was an orderly with us in the classes. In his first interview on German TV after his release he had our manual on the table in front of him. He said that was like his bible and how much it had helped him. He was a great guy telling lots of stories. He knew everyone. He was even negotiating from his cell his daughter’s fee for the German version of I’m A Celebrity!!
(ix) You also started up the first aid training provider company, SaveYu. Tell us what brought that about and what the initiative has become in the community?
Gary: My partner (Gemma) and I set up our company SaveYu. It’s first aid and mental health training for children and adults. We both experienced our children choking and we saved their lives. We go to businesses, schools, etc, and teach regulated awards that are needed in the workplace. We also teach kids in year 5 upwards (age 7 and above) Mini SaveYu, a kid’s version of first aid but covering all content and hands-on assessments that adults can do.
(x) Late last year you were a guest of AFC Wimbledon at the Walsall game at Plough Lane, You also were part of a stadium tour. Your impressions of that day, of the new stadium and what AFC Wimbledon has become after the traumatic hijack of the club to Milton Keynes. Your feelings about that as an ex-player?
Gary: Gemma and I were invited to the Walsall game.It was a fantastic day meeting up with old friends and seeing what is a fantastic stadium it is. So many passionate fans and people are involved. I’m really pleased that the fans set up AFC Wimbledon and didn’t follow MK… It should never have happened.
(xi) Finally, and for those perhaps too young (or not even born) at the time of Wimbledon’s remarkable life in the Premier League, tell us what it meant to be part of that Crazy Gang ethos, the classic unfancied underdog team? Do you still see any of your old Dons teammates?
Gary: Wimbledon as a player was brilliant. We were never really expected to win but that made us stronger as a group. It was also a fine line between us and a potential move to a BIG club. We had great relationships that still last today as we meet every Christmas for a beer or two. We have a group chat where the stick/banter still goes on … 30 members turned up at Spurs ground to celebrate Joe Kinnear’s life… A 12 hour drinking session. You can never replicate Wimbledon now, we were unique on and off the field. It was the best time ever.
[The Gary Elkins Interview was first published in the February-March 2025 issue of the Wombles Downunder fanzine. Details on how you can subscribe to Wombles Downunder.]
