Wombles Downunder #271

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AS WDSA proudly celebrates its 40th anniversary Wimbledon sit in fifth spot after 12 games in League One with seven wins and a draw.

You will remember (and probably do) that in the last issue our venerable Pundits Poll made for grim reading: It forecast an average finishing spot of 18th among our mega poll of 36 respondents, with five tipping us going down!

Now it is early days, we’re barely one-quarter of the way through the league season, and plenty can and will undoubtedly happen, but Johnnie Jackson’s men have made a flying start. So how come?

Tim Hanson has a few ideas why this has come about and also has words of praise for Jackson, now in his fourth season at the helm.“Such has been Jackson’s recent success that some have asked whether he should be considered up there with Terry Brown and Neal Ardley as the best managers in the AFCW era.” Read what Tim says about that.

Colum McAndrew follows a similar theme about Jackson’s status as a Dons’ legend after recently having his contract renewed to the end of next season.

There’s always encouragement for contributors to voice an opinion and Tim Smith has a piece on Marcus Browne. Tim believes Browne is the most talented player in the Dons’ squad but after his ‘red mist’ moment at Bolton and a subsequent three-game ban, the team must come first.

Steve Dowse profiles Ryan Johnson, who has become a team leader and forms a trusted defensive partnership with Joe Lewis.

Ray Armfield takes a look at the ‘hokey-cokey’ Dons Trust Board elections and cross-pollinating his sterling work with the Wimbledon Old Players Association (WOPA). On that, it was fantastic to see 1988 FA Cup-winning manager Bobby Gould make a reappearance before the fans at the recent Port Vale home game.

I met up with John Lynch on my recent visit to Plough Lane and am delighted to get his story of how a personal collection of Wimbledon FC memorabilia grew into Wimbledon In Sporting History (WiSH), which was recently voted “The UK’s Best Sporting Heritage Organisation in 2025.”

Jolly Dave Kenwery is back with his socialising Away With The Dons, and my doesn’t this gadabout know some people, both inside and outside the Dons. Trevor Pearce looks at the Dons thriving youth policy. He writes we’ve produced some gems over the years but many leave before even playing for the first team… for all the Rudonis, Assals, Curries there are those who don’t seem to benefit at all moving on.

Ian White has some exciting news out of the London Broncos following the announcement  of an ambitious new ownership group, headed by Australian rugby league great Darren Lockyer. Plenty more to come out of this.

We’ve also tracked down an original AFC Wimbledon player Craig Carley, who is coaching with success in Australia at the Goulburn Valley Suns in Victoria and his work with exciting young talents, most notably the Kuol brothers. Garang and Alou.

It’s all in WDSA’s latest Wombles Downunder newsletter edition No.271, the longest-running (by far) and respected fanzine devoted to Wimbledon, now in its 40th continuous year. Come on, make the call, come and join us as many others have, all around the world, you won’t be disappointed!!

Wombles Downunder has been chronicling Wimbledon FC since October 1985 …..

“WE were there when Fash was terrorising defences in the old Division 2; we were around when Dave Beasant lifted the FA Cup at Wembley; we witnessed the heart-rending day when the Dons went down from the Premier League, and left Neal Ardley on his haunches sobbing; we raged at the injustice of the hijack to Milton Keynes; we flippin’ burst with pride when AFC Wimbledon rose like a phoenix and we cheered when ‘it took only nine years’ to reach the Football League.”

For just one AUS dollar you get six continuous issues of the acclaimed ‘Wombles Downunder’ newsletter.

We proudly produce a bevy of testimonials after reading Wombles Downunder …

Samuel West … I’ve never been asked to talk about my love for @AFCWimbledon in print before. So when the famous Wombles Downunder fanzine asked me, I was delighted. As well as me, in the latest issue (worth a subscription alone) there’s lots about the Great Comeback from the Great Flood.

Peter Slater, fanzine researcher .. “I’d have to say that Wombles Downunder should get some kind of award for most resilient fanzine, the ups and downs of the club are well documented so bravo for continuing through all that but even before that printing, stapling and posting (POSTING!!) fanzine from the other side of the planet to willing subscribers was quite a feat.”

Tim Hanson …. Wombles Downunder, in my view, is the most comprehensive collection of news and views on the Dons’ that you will see anywhere: not bad when it’s all brought together from the other side of the world. I’m proud to have been able to contribute to the newsletter for about 19 years now.

Alf Galustian … I’m in Argentina doing clinics. I read the Wombles Downunder magazine. I think you are doing a great job for all the past, present and future followers of a club with a great history.

Marc Jones … The WDSA “newsletter” is a rather humble moniker. It’s always been far more than that. A collection of opinions seldom found huddled together anywhere else. Its custodian and editor continues to serve the supporters furthest away as if the whole bunch of them live just opposite Plough Lane. Having fans so dedicated in all corners of the globe continues to give those of us actually just up the road a real sense of how special this club is. Long may this dedication and delightful gathering of opinions reign.

Ray Armfield …. Huge congratulations to @OnyaDon and @WDownunder for the production of Wombles Downunder. Such incredible and sustained dedication across the miles to producing readable and on-point material about all things Wimbledon. I often find out nuggets of information and exclusives contained therein that I didn’t previously know from sources in the UK.

https://x.com/KentWomble/status/1759508193632203043?s=20

Graham Stacey … The Wombles Downunder Newsletter is a veritable treasure trove of information, analysis and opinion on all things Wimbledon. With big name contributors writing alongside fans old and new, and more stats than you can shake one of those bendy sticks at, it’s time (and an Aussie dollar/British pound) superbly spent for any Dons fan.

Terry Brown …. Many thanks Rob who allowed me the opportunity of reminiscing the most exciting and successful five years of my managerial career. Having read through his previous interviews with Allen Batsford, Harry Bassett and Dave Anderson it was a pleasure to be in such illustrious company… Really pleased with your special interview.

Tim Smith (BBC North) …  I really enjoyed reading that! It’s comprehensive, informed, opinionated – all the things a fanzine should be. I’m so impressed by Wombles Downunder.  It may be edited 9000 miles away, but it’s very well informed and a lot of what it predicts comes to pass. Much is being written about AFC Wimbledon at the moment, but I learn a great deal from our longest running fanzine and enjoy it even more. 

Mick Smith … Excellent read bang up to date and very informative fanzine. More people should benefit from this type of publication.

Nigel Higgs … I always enjoy reading the WDSA newsletter and I am grateful to Rob for the opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in our history and to recall some great times in my interview.

Mike Taliadoros (Radio WDON) …. The newsletter is one of the most essential and informative reads available, not just for our Down Under fans,  but for Dons supporters all round the globe.

Mick Dore … Despite my input this is always an excellent read. Any Wimbledon fan give it a go, it’s brilliant.

Ian White .. The aspect of the publication I admire most is the open-minded approach to identifying content. It was such an approach a couple of years ago that saw me submit my first piece on London Broncos’ travails, a club now firmly linked with the Dons and long may that continue. I am immensely grateful to Rob for his support and encouragement.

Peter Thistle … Thanks very much for sending the WDSA Newsletter, which I enjoyed very much.  I am wondering now just why I have not subscribed before!  The articles are very well written, giving balanced views in a mature and sensible fashion.

Steve Dowse …  I’m in awe of what you put together from so far away and I look forward to every issue. Forty years makes Wombles Downunder the longest-running WFC/AFCW publication by a very long way. It’s also the best. Here’s to many more years.

Dave Anderson …. What a terrific read !! Covers the club from back to front. It’s a must if you’re a Don.

Erik Samuelson… I’ve always been impressed by the quality and the range of topics from Dons fans around the world.  WDSA brings them all together and produces a very high quality newsletter (and website). Long may it continue. My only grumble is that during our interviews he always manages to get me to say a bit more than I meant to, while respecting genuine confidences.

Bobby Gould … I have printed off the three pages of your Dons’ newsletter containing my interview and thoroughly enjoyed the read.  Hope your loyal readers enjoyed it as much as I did.

Derek French … Thanks for inviting me to tell some of the tales from my days at the Dons. Hope your readers enjoy it. It’s an excellent newsletter indeed, informative and interesting.

Kevin Gage …. You said I might be surprised by your ‘newsletter’……I certainly was!   A newsletter implies a sheet of A4, the type of thing I used to bring home from school! How times change! It’s a great read.

Ian Cooke …. Thirty years!! REALLY? I have always enjoyed the read and your correspondents are very similar in their views/outlooks to most of the fans I speak to.

Peter Leng …. Thanks for the newsletter: an excellent read as ever. It’s always such an interesting and engaging set of articles, and great to read others’ views and opinions on tactics, players and so much more. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jason Steger … Lots of info; good stuff. You do a great job. It’s good value.

Paul Jeater ….. Thirty years is a remarkable achievement, for any football publication, let alone one based in a different continent from that in which the Club that its focus is located. What makes WDSA newsletter so special is that it recognised the need to go ‘online’ ahead of the race and that it also complements rather than competes with other AFC Wimbledon fanzines.

Rob Cornell (Radio WDON)  ….. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being interviewed for the WDSA newsletter. It’s an excellent, well researched and well established magazine for Wimbledon and AFC Wimbledon supporters everywhere!

Richard Fairbairn (Aberdeen, Scotland) ….. Great fanzine, nicely written and it gives me some insights that it’s just hard to pick being a remote supporter.

Margaret Hung … An excellent edition. A very enjoyable read. Thank you.

Howard Fry .. Love reading your wondrous fanzine….

Stephen Crabtree (The Historical Don) … If you want in-depth, up-to-date, critical comment on every aspect of AFC Wimbledon then the Wombles Downunder newsletter is for you. Each issue Rob gets together a range of writers to examine the parts of the club other publications do not reach. Always well informed, at 200 not out it will no doubt be at the crease for many years to come.

Rob Bushaway (Derbyshire) … I have often commented that the news provided by the fanzine was much more informative than the national press. It’s been brilliant and fair to say it still is.

Andy Powell (Devon Womble) … I stepped inside Plough Lane to watch my first Wimbledon match sometime late in 1972/1973 (against Nuneaton Borough if memory serves me right), but beyond the fragments of sage wisdom in the local pub about our performances, and a constantly biased press; it was always hard to know much about what was really going on inside the boardroom, inside the dressing room, or occasionally, on the pitch (!) Now, almost 40 years later all I have to do is subscribe a token amount of dosh and I get Wombles Downunder newsletters loaded with the sort of stuff I suspect few club supporters get yet most crave. Where are you hiding the webcams Rob?  Probably the best £10 I’ve spent in years.

Paul Harman … Thanks for a great magazine. With the advent of technology, the Wombles Downunder newsletter is still required reading. I print each edition and spend the next couple of days reading the magazine.

Tony Shipman …. I’ve been meaning to subscribe to your newsletter for some months but didn’t pull my finger out until now.  Six bucks is a great deal and I will read it with interest.

So if you’ve been meaning to take out a subscription this is an excellent time to discover the many delights of Wombles Downunder. Here’s your chance, you’ve read what the many others say so don’t miss out on a consistently high-quality long-form read … so what are you waiting for?

To get your email PDF subscription to the comprehensive and widely-read Wombles Downunder fanzine and its many pages of quality reading simply follow this link and you will soon become a devotee as are many others around the world — UK, Europe, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, United States and Australasia.  Now in its 40th year and still very much a thoroughly good read ….. and so much MORE than just a newsletter!!

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