1996–97 Wimbledon F.C. season

Wimbledon
1996–97 season
Chairman Sam Hammam
Manager Joe Kinnear
Stadium Selhurst Park
Premier League 8th
FA Cup Semi-finals
League Cup Semi-finals
Top goalscorer League: Ekoku (11)
All: Gayle (13)
Highest home attendance 25,786 vs Manchester United
(17 Aug 1996, Premier League)
Lowest home attendance 3,811 vs Portsmouth
(18 Sep 1996, League Cup)
Average home league attendance 14,416

During the 1996–97 English football season, Wimbledon competed in the Premier League. The season marked 20 years since Wimbledon's election to the Football League and was their eleventh successive season of top division football. It was one of the most successful of the club's history as they finished eighth in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of both domestic cups.

Season summary

The opening day of the season saw Wimbledon lose 3-0 at home to Manchester United in a game mostly remembered for David Beckham's late goal from inside his own half. The Dons also lost their next two games, but then went on a 19-match unbeaten run, including seven league wins in a row. A 1-0 over Blackburn Rovers in December left them 3rd in the table, one point behind leaders Arsenal. The team's form tailed off in the second half of the season and they missed out on the chance of European qualification, finishing 8th.

Wimbledon also reached the semi-finals of both domestic cups. Their FA Cup run saw them knock out holders Manchester United but they lost 3-0 to the eventual winners Chelsea at Highbury. In the League Cup they were eliminated on away goals by Leicester City, who also went on to win the trophy. The sale of Øyvind Leonhardsen to Liverpool at the end of the season left manager Joe Kinnear with a big hole to fill in a squad which had, so far, achieved so much on a shoestring budget.

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup First round[lower-alpha 1]
7 Sheffield Wednesday 38 14 15 9 50 51 −1 57
8 Wimbledon 38 15 11 12 49 46 +3 56
9 Leicester City 38 12 11 15 46 54 −8 47 1997–98 UEFA Cup First round[lower-alpha 2]
10 Tottenham Hotspur 38 13 7 18 44 51 −7 46
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
  2. ↑ Leicester City qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
38 15 11 12 49 46  +3 56 9 6 4 28 21  +7 6 5 8 21 25  −4

Source: Statto

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAAHAAHAAHHAHHAHAHH
ResultLLLWWWWWWWDDDDWWWLWDLLDWDLDLDDLLWLLDWW
Position1920201711863523444423345556656678888788888

Source: Statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Wimbledon's score comes first[1]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

FA Premier League

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
17 August 1996Manchester UnitedH0-325,786
21 August 1996Newcastle UnitedA0-236,385
26 August 1996Leeds UnitedA0-125,860
4 September 1996Tottenham HotspurH1-017,506Earle
7 September 1996EvertonH4-013,684Ardley, Gayle, Earle, Ekoku
14 September 1996West Ham UnitedA2-021,294Clarke, Ekoku
23 September 1996SouthamptonH3-18,572Gayle, Ekoku (2)
28 September 1996Derby CountyA2-017,022Earle, Gayle
12 October 1996Sheffield WednesdayH4-210,512Ekoku, Earle, Leonhardsen, Jones
19 October 1996ChelseaA4-228,020Earle, Ardley, Gayle, Ekoku
26 October 1996MiddlesbroughA0-029,758
2 November 1996ArsenalH2-225,521Jones, Gayle
16 November 1996Coventry CityH2-210,307Earle, Gayle
23 November 1996LiverpoolA1-139,027Leonhardsen
30 November 1996Nottingham ForestH1-012,608Earle
7 December 1996SunderlandA3-119,672Ekoku (2), Holdsworth
14 December 1996Blackburn RoversH1-013,246Holdsworth
22 December 1996Aston VillaA0-528,875
28 December 1996EvertonA3-136,733Ekoku, Leonhardsen, Gayle
11 January 1997Derby CountyH1-111,467Gayle
18 January 1997Leicester CityA0-118,927
29 January 1997Manchester UnitedA1-255,314Perry
1 February 1997MiddlesbroughH1-115,046Cox (own goal)
23 February 1997ArsenalA1-037,854Jones
26 February 1997SouthamptonA0-014,418
1 March 1997Leicester CityH1-311,487Holdsworth
3 March 1997Coventry CityA1-115,273Ekoku
15 March 1997Blackburn RoversA1-323,333Ekoku
18 March 1997West Ham UnitedH1-115,771Harford
23 March 1997Newcastle UnitedH1-123,175Leonhardsen
5 April 1997Tottenham HotspurA0-132,654
9 April 1997Aston VillaH0-29,015
16 April 1997Leeds UnitedH2-07,979Holdsworth, Castledine
19 April 1997Sheffield WednesdayA1-326,957Goodman
22 April 1997ChelseaH0-114,601
3 May 1997Nottingham ForestA1-119,865Leonhardsen
6 May 1997LiverpoolH2-120,016Euell, Holdsworth
11 May 1997SunderlandH1-021,338Euell

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R314 January 1997Crewe AlexandraA1-15,011Perry
R3R21 January 1997Crewe AlexandraH2-04,951Earle, Holdsworth
R425 January 1997Manchester UnitedA1-153,342Earle
R4R4 February 1997Manchester UnitedH1-025,601Gayle
R515 February 1997Queens Park RangersH2-122,395Gayle, Earle
QF9 March 1997Sheffield WednesdayA2-025,032Earle, Holdsworth
SF13 April 1997ChelseaN0-332,674

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R2 1st Leg18 September 1996PortsmouthH1-03,811Holdsworth
R2 2nd Leg25 September 1996PortsmouthA1-1 (won 2-1 on agg)4,006Gayle
R322 October 1996Luton TownH1-15,043Holdsworth
R3R12 November 1996Luton TownA2-18,076Castledine, Fear
R426 November 1996Aston VillaH1-07,573Gayle
QF8 January 1997Bolton WanderersA2-016,968Ekoku, Leonhardsen
SF 1st Leg18 February 1997Leicester CityA0-016,021
SF 2nd Leg11 March 1997Leicester CityH1-1 (a.e.t.) (lost on away goals)17,810Gayle

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Scotland GK Neil Sullivan[3]
2 Republic of Ireland DF Kenny Cunningham
3 England DF Alan Kimble
4 Wales MF Vinnie Jones[4]
5 England DF Dean Blackwell
6 England DF Ben Thatcher[5]
7 Norway MF Øyvind Leonhardsen
8 Jamaica MF Robbie Earle[6]
9 Nigeria FW Efan Ekoku[7]
10 England FW Dean Holdsworth
11 England FW Marcus Gayle[8]
12 England DF Chris Perry
13 England GK Paul Heald
No. Position Player
14 Republic of Ireland FW Jon Goodman[9]
15 England DF Alan Reeves
17 Scotland DF Brian McAllister
18 England DF Neal Ardley
19 England MF Stewart Castledine
20 England FW Mick Harford
21 England DF Duncan Jupp
22 England FW Andy Clarke
23 England FW Jason Euell[10]
24 England MF Peter Fear
25 England DF Andy Pearce
26 England FW Carl Cort[11]
33 Republic of Ireland GK Brendan Murphy

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
16 England DF Andy Thorn (to Hearts)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
- England FW Gary Blissett

Transfers

In

Date Pos. Name From Fee
1 July 1996 DF Duncan Jupp Fulham £200,000
5 July 1996 DF Ben Thatcher Millwall £1,700,000

Out

Date Pos. Name To Fee
22 July 1996 MF Lenny Piper Gillingham £40,000
25 July 1996 MF Steve Talboys Watford Free transfer
16 September 1996 DF Andy Thorn Hearts Non-contract
18 September 1996 DF Gary Elkins Swindon Town £100,000
Transfers in: Decrease £1,900,000
Transfers out: Increase £140,000
Total spending: Decrease £1,760,000

References

  1. ↑ "Wimbledon 1996-1997 Home - statto.com". Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
  2. ↑ http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/1996-1997/faprem/wimbled.htm
  3. ↑ Sullivan was born in Sutton, England, but qualified to represent Scotland internationally and would make his debut for Scotland during the season.
  4. ↑ Jones was born in Watford, England, but qualified to represent Wales through his maternal grandfather; he made his international debut for Wales in 1994.
  5. ↑ Thatcher was born in Swindon, England, and played for the England U21 side during the season, but also qualified to represent Wales through his grandmother and would make his international debut for Wales in March 2004.
  6. ↑ Earle was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, but qualified to represent Jamaica internationally. He made his international debut for Jamaica during the season, having previously being called up for England once without playing.
  7. ↑ Ekoku was born in Manchester, England, but qualified to represent Nigeria internationally and made his international debut for Nigeria in 1994.
  8. ↑ Gayle was born in Hammersmith, London, but qualified to represent Jamaica internationally; he made his international debut for Jamaica in 1998.
  9. ↑ Goodman was born in Walthamstow, England, but qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and would make his debut for Ireland in 1997.
  10. ↑ Euell was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally and would make his international debut for Jamaica in July 2004.
  11. ↑ Cort was born in Southwark, England, but qualified to represent Guyana and would make his international debut for Guyana in 2011.
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