1999–2000 Wimbledon F.C. season explained

Club:Wimbledon
Season:1999–2000
Manager:Egil Olsen (until 1 May)[1]
Terry Burton (caretaker)
Chairman:Sam Hammam
Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
Stadium:Selhurst Park
League:Premier League
League Result:18th (relegated)
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:Fourth round
Cup2:League Cup
Cup2 Result:Quarter-finals
League Topscorer:
Carl Cort and John Hartson (9)
Season Topscorer:
Carl Cort (15)
Highest Attendance:26,129 (vs. Manchester United, 26 February)
Lowest Attendance:2,772 (vs. Cardiff City, 21 September)
Average Attendance:17,156
Prevseason:1998–99
Nextseason:2000–01

During the 1999–2000 English football season, Wimbledon competed in the Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

The season began with a new manager, Norway's Egil Olsen, after the close season resignation of long-serving Joe Kinnear, but Olsen was ousted with two weeks of the season remaining and replaced by coach Terry Burton, who was unable to save Wimbledon from relegation after 14 successive seasons of top division football.

Season summary

Wimbledon's new season began with a 3–2 win against newly promoted Watford at Vicarage Road; this would turn out to be the Dons' only ever away league win throughout the season. The close-season resignation of former Joe Kinnear because of health problems (he would suffer from them again as manager of Newcastle United) after seven years as manager led to the appointment of former Norwegian national coach Egil Olsen as Wimbledon's new manager, giving Dons fans hope of beating the drop once again. The mid-season collapse of star striker John Hartson's move to Tottenham Hotspur was further good news to the cause, but a run of eight straight defeats during the final weeks of the season dragged Wimbledon into the depth of the relegation mire. Olsen was sacked after a 3–0 defeat away to Bradford City, to be replaced by former coach and assistant manager Terry Burton for the final two games of the season. A 2–2 draw at home to Aston Villa gave them hope going into their last game, away to Southampton. They were one place above the relegation zone on goal difference, but a 2–0 defeat at the Dell – combined with Bradford's 1–0 win over Liverpool – condemned Wimbledon to relegation and ended their 14-year stay in the top flight.[2] The transition coincided with the end of one of the most remarkable rags-to-riches stories in football, which had started with Wimbledon's election to the Football League in 1977 and seen them reach the top flight nine years later, before peaking as 1988 FA Cup Final winners. Their relegation was confirmed 12 years to the day that Wimbledon achieved their famous victory over Liverpool at Wembley.

Final league table

See main article: 1999–2000 FA Premier League.

Results summary
Results by round

Results

Wimbledon's score comes first[3]

Legend

WinDrawLoss

FA Premier League

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
7 August 1999 WatfordA3–215,511Cort, Gayle, Johnson (own goal)
10 August 1999 MiddlesbroughH2–311,036Cort, Hartson
14 August 1999 Coventry CityH1–110,635Cort
21 August 1999 Newcastle UnitedA3–335,809Hughes, Ainsworth (2)
25 August 1999 EvertonA0–432,818
28 August 1999 ChelseaH0–122,167
11 September 1999 Derby CountyH2–212,282Hartson, Euell
18 September 1999 Manchester UnitedA1–155,189Badir
26 September 1999 Tottenham HotspurH1–117,368Hartson
2 October 1999 Sheffield WednesdayA1–518,077Hartson
16 October 1999 Bradford CityH3–210,029Hartson (2), Cort
23 October 1999 Aston VillaA1–127,160Earle
30 October 1999 SouthamptonH1–115,754Gayle
7 November 1999 Leeds UnitedH2–018,747Hartson, Gayle
20 November 1999 Leicester CityA1–218,255Gayle
27 November 1999 MiddlesbroughA0–031,400
4 December 1999 WatfordH5–014,021Cort, Earle, Hartson, Euell, Gayle
18 December 1999 ArsenalA1–138,052Cort
26 December 1999 West Ham UnitedH2–221,180Hreidarsson, Ardley
28 December 1999 LiverpoolA1–344,107Gayle
3 January 2000 SunderlandH1–017,621Cort
15 January 2000 Coventry CityA0–219,012
22 January 2000 Newcastle UnitedH2–022,118Earle, Gayle
6 February 2000 EvertonH0–313,172
12 February 2000 ChelseaA1–334,826Lund
26 February 2000 Manchester UnitedH2–226,129Euell, Cort
4 March 2000 Derby CountyA0–428,384
11 March 2000 Leicester CityH2–114,319Ardley (pen), Euell
19 March 2000 Leeds UnitedA1–439,256Euell
26 March 2000 West Ham UnitedA1–222,438Hughes
1 April 2000 ArsenalH1–325,858Lund
8 April 2000 SunderlandA1–241,592Roy (own goal)
12 April 2000 Sheffield WednesdayH0–28,248
16 April 2000 LiverpoolH1–226,102Andresen
22 April 2000 Tottenham HotspurA0–233,086
30 April 2000 Bradford CityA0–318,276
6 May 2000 Aston VillaH2–219,188Ehiogu (own goal), Hartson
14 May 2000 SouthamptonA0–215,249

FA Cup

See main article: 1999–2000 FA Cup.

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers
R311 December 1999 BarnsleyH1–04,505Cort
R48 January 2000 FulhamA0–316,877

League Cup

See main article: 1999–2000 Football League Cup.

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg14 September 1999 Cardiff CityA1–17,613Hughes
R2 2nd Leg21 September 1999 Cardiff CityH3–1 (4–2 on agg)2,772Cort, Earle (2)
R312 October 1999 SunderlandH3–24,790Cort (3)
R430 November 1999 Huddersfield TownA2–113,312Kimble, Euell
QF14 December 1999 Bolton WanderersA1–29,463Cort

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[4]

Reserve squad

The following players did not make an appearance for the first team this season.

Transfers

In

Out

Loaned out

Statistics

Starting 11

Only considering Premiership starts

Considering a 4–3–3 formation[6]

Appearances and goals

Source:

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.

Players with names struck through and marked left the club during the playing season.

Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Burnley.

Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.

Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

Players contracted for the 1999–2000 season
No.Pos.Nat.NameLeagueFA CupLeague CupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1GKNeil Sullivan3702050440
2DFKenny Cunningham3702040430
3DFAlan Kimble24 (4)0105130 (4)1
4MFAndy Roberts14 (2)0105020 (2)0
5DFDean Blackwell16 (1)0004020 (1)0
6DFBen Thatcher19 (1)0002021 (1)0
7FWCarl Cort32 (2)9215539 (2)15
8MFRobbie Earle23 (2)3103 (1)227 (3)5
9FWJohn Hartson15 (1)9103019 (1)9
10FWJason Euell32 (5)4205139 (5)5
11FWMarcus Gayle35 (1)7203040 (1)7
12MFNeal Ardley10 (7)20 (1)01011 (8)2
13GKPaul Heald10000010
14DFTore Pedersen60000060
15FWCarl Leaburn5 (13)0102 (2)08 (15)0
16MFMichael Hughes13 (7)20 (1)01 (1)114 (9)3
17DFBrian McAllister00000000
18MFGareth Ainsworth0 (2)200000 (2)2
19MFWalid Badir12 (9)10 (1)03015 (10)1
20FWEfan Ekoku 00000000
20MFMartin Andresen4 (10)1100 (1)05 (11)1
21DFDuncan Jupp6 (3)0002 (1)08 (4)0
22DFChris Willmott70100 (1)08 (1)0
23GKKelvin Davis00000000
24MFDamien Francis1 (8)0100 (3)02 (11)0
25FWJon Goodman 00000 (1)00 (1)0
26MFCeri Hughes 00000000
27MFStewart Castledine00000000
28DFPeter Hawkins00000000
29DFTrond Andersen35 (1)0202039 (1)0
30DFHermann Hreiðarsson2412000261
31DFDanny Hodges 00000000
31MFKjetil Wæhler00000000
32FWWayne Gray0 (1)00 (1)0000 (2)0
33GKBrendan Murphy00000000
34FWAndreas Lund10 (2)2000010 (2)2

Notes and References

  1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/732285.stm Olsen axed by Wimbledon, BBC News, 1 May 2000
  2. Web site: Dons sent down at the Dell. BBC News. 14 May 2000. 1 August 2015.
  3. Web site: Wimbledon 1999-2000 Results - statto.com . 15 July 2012 . 27 March 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130327033625/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/wimbledon/1999-2000/results . dead .
  4. Web site: FootballSquads - Wimbledon - 1999/00.
  5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/410783.stm Wimbledon: Hammam's new man, BBC News
  6. Web site: Wimbledon FC in FA Premier League 1999/2000 fixture.

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