LASTSEASON
LEAGUEONE17thFACUPFirstRoundLEAGUECUP
ThirdRoundTOPSCORERAdebayoAkinfenwa(8)LASTSEASON
LEAGUE ONE 20th FA CUP Fifth Round
LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Joe Pigott (18)FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 71AFC WIMBLEDOn WYCOMBE WAnDERERS
SEASOn PREVIEW
FFTVERDICT
17TH FFT VERDICT
23RD
Wally Downes’ appointment led
to Wimbledon taking on the role of
Lazarus last season, but he will be
keen to avoid similar drama this
time around. Signings from Cardiff
Met and Met Police are imaginative
punts; a Deji Oshilaja-shaped hole
in the defence is the real concern.The evergreen and ever-popular
Bayo Akinfenwa signing on for one
more year is a boost as Wycombe,
consistently punching above their
weight under Gareth Ainsworth,
seek to rejuvenate the squad and
defy expectations again. The odds
are against them. They always are.The big talking point among the fans
is the new stadium being built back at
Plough Lane, just a couple of hundred
metres from where the old ground sat.
Finally, we’re going home, though not
until the season after this one.
Our most underrated player is the
teenage midfielder Anthony Hartigan,
who often went under the radar even
when he was a mainstay in the second
half of the season.
The player I’d happily drive to
another club is Kwesi Appiah. Out of
sheer frustration with his injuries, I’d
let the Ghana international striker go.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Gillingham’s Tom Eaves,
who has now joined Hull.
The pantomime villain will be Joey
Barton at Fleetwood, again.
Did you know that we did not ‘evict’
Kingstonian FC from Kingsmeadow- in fact, we gave them £1m to help
them find a new permanent home
in the borough of Kingston.
The one recommendation for away
fans is to bring a small step with you,
as the view from the away terrace is
poor, to say the least.
The signature local dish is a carvery
on matchday. You can’t go wrong!
Look out for striker Tommy Wood, 20.
Our key player will be Mr Wimbledon,
Will Nightingale [above]. His new deal
should mean he’s made club captain.
The one change I’d make to the club
would be better communication from
the club to the supporters.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that Wally Downes [below] steadied
the ship during a season of turmoil. It
was sad to see Neal Ardley leave, but
he had hit his ceiling and it was time
to move on. Downes rejuvenated the
players’ spirit and he got the fans on
board, too. Bringing in players on loan
as a quick fix is always risky but it paid
off, as each played their part in turning
around our campaign. After a solid FA
Cup run, with a giant-killing at home
to West Ham, the team kept pushing
on – and got their rewards.
We’ll finish mid-table with another
cup run, which will be appreciated by
all as we go back home.The big talking point among the fans
is ownership. Having been owned by
a supporters’ trust since 2012, the club
recently announced that it couldn’t
survive without outside investment.
Cuts have led to the 500 Club being
re-introduced, where fans can pledge
money towards the transfer budget.
American investor Rob Couhig possibly
becoming an investor could provide
vital funds, however.
This season will be different because
we have even less money. As of the
beginning of July, only 15 players are
registered for the new season. Gareth
Ainsworth will have to be more astute
than ever in the loan market in order
to get a respectable squad together,
although he’ll have some help from
fans’ donations totalling more than
£60,000 – and potentially Mr Couhig.
Our most underrated player is Alex
Samuel [below]. The forward’s lack of
goals means his superb work rate and
determination can be overlooked.Our key player will be Players’ Player
of the Year, Curtis Thompson [above].
The one change I’d make to the club
would be to restart the academy,
although that’s unrealistic currently.
The best Wycombe social media
account is Twitter’s @chairboystrivia.
Our best celebrity fans are Henning
Wehn and Bill Turnbull.
The best thing about the matchday
experience at Wycombe is the nice
scenery around Adams Park.
The one recommendation for away
fans is to go to the chair museum.
The best away fans are Portsmouth’s,
although the number of Sunderland
fans who travel across the country is
incredible. And, in terms of going to
their place, it’s not often that a club
like Wycombe gets to play a league
game in front of 30,000 supporters.
Did you know that we did the double
over Manchester City in 1998-99?
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that Gareth Ainsworth has worked
wonders since he took over in 2012.
The only worry is that his success will
interest bigger clubs, as is speculated.
We’ll finish 20th. I’m hoping that we
will somehow do just enough.FAn FILE
JAMIE CAMERON
@jamie_cameron_FAn FILE
GARY JORDAN
@Gazjor1