Ordinary Gweilo

This is a rather heartening story, I think.  You may be aware that just over two years ago Wimbledon Football Club was bought by some businessman or other and moved to Milton Keynes (70 miles away).  They now play in front of tiny crowds in a hockey stadium and are near to the bottom of League One (the league formerly known as the Third Division).

The fans of Wimbledon quite reasonably decided that Milton Keynes was not for them, and set up a new club, AFC Wimbledon.  They had to start near the bottom of the non-league pyramid, but they do play home matches somewhere considerably closer than Milton Keynes, and they have attracted huge crowds (especially considering the level they play at).  They have been successful on and off the pitch mirroring the abject failure of the "old" Wimbledon, and won the Combined Counties League in only their second season.  Now they are top of Ryman League Division One.  There’s still some way to go, but they will presumably pass the "old" Wimbledon on the way down in a few seasons time, and then emulate them by entering the Football League.  Forty years ago, the old Wimbledon were in the Isthmian League (as it was then called), and eventually they made it all the way to the Premiership.

Anyway, the reason for mentioning all of this is that the BBC is reporting that AFC Wimbledon now have the longest unbeaten record of any English club (76 games).  Long may it continue!