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1996–97 Wimbledon F.C. season

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Wimbledon
1996–97 season
ChairmanSam Hammam
ManagerJoe Kinnear
StadiumSelhurst Park
Premier League8th
FA CupSemi-finals
League CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Ekoku (11)
All: Gayle (13)
Highest home attendance25,786 (vs. Manchester United, 17 August)
Lowest home attendance3,811 (vs. Portsmouth, 18 September)
Average home league attendance14,416

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

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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

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Main article: 1996–97 FA Premier League
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
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 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
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
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
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

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Wimbledon's score comes first[1]

Legend

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Win Draw Loss

FA Premier League

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Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
17 August 1996 Manchester United H 0–3 25,786
21 August 1996 Newcastle United A 0–2 36,385
26 August 1996 Leeds United A 0–1 25,860
4 September 1996 Tottenham Hotspur H 1–0 17,506 Earle
7 September 1996 Everton H 4–0 13,684 Ardley, Gayle, Earle, Ekoku
14 September 1996 West Ham United A 2–0 21,294 Clarke, Ekoku
23 September 1996 Southampton H 3–1 8,572 Gayle, Ekoku (2)
28 September 1996 Derby County A 2–0 17,022 Earle, Gayle
12 October 1996 Sheffield Wednesday H 4–2 10,512 Ekoku, Earle, Leonhardsen, Jones
19 October 1996 Chelsea A 4–2 28,020 Earle, Ardley, Gayle, Ekoku
26 October 1996 Middlesbrough A 0–0 29,758
2 November 1996 Arsenal H 2–2 25,521 Jones, Gayle
16 November 1996 Coventry City H 2–2 10,307 Earle, Gayle
23 November 1996 Liverpool A 1–1 39,027 Leonhardsen
30 November 1996 Nottingham Forest H 1–0 12,608 Earle
7 December 1996 Sunderland A 3–1 19,672 Ekoku (2), Holdsworth
14 December 1996 Blackburn Rovers H 1–0 13,246 Holdsworth
22 December 1996 Aston Villa A 0–5 28,875
28 December 1996 Everton A 3–1 36,733 Ekoku, Leonhardsen, Gayle
11 January 1997 Derby County H 1–1 11,467 Gayle
18 January 1997 Leicester City A 0–1 18,927
29 January 1997 Manchester United A 1–2 55,314 Perry
1 February 1997 Middlesbrough H 1–1 15,046 Cox (own goal)
23 February 1997 Arsenal A 1–0 37,854 Jones
26 February 1997 Southampton A 0–0 14,418
1 March 1997 Leicester City H 1–3 11,487 Holdsworth
3 March 1997 Coventry City A 1–1 15,273 Ekoku
15 March 1997 Blackburn Rovers A 1–3 23,333 Ekoku
18 March 1997 West Ham United H 1–1 15,771 Harford
23 March 1997 Newcastle United H 1–1 23,175 Leonhardsen
5 April 1997 Tottenham Hotspur A 0–1 32,654
9 April 1997 Aston Villa H 0–2 9,015
16 April 1997 Leeds United H 2–0 7,979 Holdsworth, Castledine
19 April 1997 Sheffield Wednesday A 1–3 26,957 Goodman
22 April 1997 Chelsea H 0–1 14,601
3 May 1997 Nottingham Forest A 1–1 19,865 Leonhardsen
6 May 1997 Liverpool H 2–1 20,016 Euell, Holdsworth
11 May 1997 Sunderland H 1–0 21,338 Euell

FA Cup

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Main article: 1996–97 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 14 January 1997 Crewe Alexandra A 1–1 5,011 Perry
R3R 21 January 1997 Crewe Alexandra H 2–0 4,951 Earle, Holdsworth
R4 25 January 1997 Manchester United A 1–1 53,342 Earle
R4R 4 February 1997 Manchester United H 1–0 25,601 Gayle
R5 15 February 1997 Queens Park Rangers H 2–1 22,395 Gayle, Earle
QF 9 March 1997 Sheffield Wednesday A 2–0 25,032 Earle, Holdsworth
SF 13 April 1997 Chelsea N 0–3 32,674

League Cup

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Main article: 1996–97 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg 18 September 1996 Portsmouth H 1–0 3,811 Holdsworth
R2 2nd Leg 25 September 1996 Portsmouth A 1–1 (won 2–1 on agg) 4,006 Gayle
R3 22 October 1996 Luton Town H 1–1 5,043 Holdsworth
R3R 12 November 1996 Luton Town A 2–1 8,076 Castledine, Fear
R4 26 November 1996 Aston Villa H 1–0 7,573 Gayle
QF 8 January 1997 Bolton Wanderers A 2–0 16,968 Ekoku, Leonhardsen
SF 1st Leg 18 February 1997 Leicester City A 0–0 16,021
SF 2nd Leg 11 March 1997 Leicester City H 1–1 (a.e.t.)(lost on away goals) 17,810 Gayle

Players

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First-team squad

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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. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Scotland SCO Neil Sullivan[notes 1]
2 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Kenny Cunningham
3 DF England ENG Alan Kimble
4 MF Wales WAL Vinnie Jones[notes 2]
5 DF England ENG Dean Blackwell
6 DF England ENG Ben Thatcher[notes 3]
7 MF Norway NOR Øyvind Leonhardsen
8 MF Jamaica JAM Robbie Earle[notes 4]
9 FW Nigeria NGA Efan Ekoku[notes 5]
10 FW England ENG Dean Holdsworth
11 FW England ENG Marcus Gayle[notes 6]
12 DF England ENG Chris Perry
13 GK England ENG Paul Heald
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Jon Goodman[notes 7]
15 DF England ENG Alan Reeves
17 DF Scotland SCO Brian McAllister
18 MF England ENG Neal Ardley
19 MF England ENG Stewart Castledine
20 FW England ENG Mick Harford
21 DF Scotland SCO Duncan Jupp[notes 8]
22 FW England ENG Andy Clarke
23 FW England ENG Jason Euell[notes 9]
24 MF England ENG Peter Fear
25 DF England ENG Andy Pearce
26 FW England ENG Carl Cort[notes 10]
33 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Brendan Murphy

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF England ENG Andy Thorn (to Hearts)

Reserve squad

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The following players did not appear for the first-team this season.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW England ENG Gary Blissett

Transfers

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In

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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

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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

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK Scotland SCO Neil Sullivan 50 0 36 0 7 0 7 0
13 GK England ENG Paul Heald 4 0 2+1 0 0 0 1 0
Defenders
2 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Kenny Cunningham 50 0 36 0 7 0 7 0
3 DF England ENG Alan Kimble 45 0 28+3 0 6 0 8 0
5 DF England ENG Dean Blackwell 41 0 22+5 0 6 0 8 0
6 DF England ENG Ben Thatcher 9 0 9 0 0 0 0 0
12 DF England ENG Chris Perry 51 2 37 1 7 1 7 0
15 DF England ENG Alan Reeves 4 0 0+2 0 0 0 1+1 0
17 DF Scotland SCO Brian McAllister 29 0 19+4 0 2+3 0 0+1 0
21 DF Scotland SCO Duncan Jupp 9 0 6 0 0+2 0 1 0
Midfielders
4 MF Wales WAL Vinnie Jones 43 3 29 3 7 0 7 0
7 MF Norway NOR Øyvind Leonhardsen 41 6 27 5 7 0 6+1 1
8 MF Jamaica JAM Robbie Earle 45 11 32 7 7 4 6 0
18 MF England ENG Neal Ardley 43 2 33 2 5 0 4+1 0
19 MF England ENG Stewart Castledine 7 2 4+2 1 0 0 1 1
24 MF England ENG Peter Fear 21 1 9+8 0 0 0 4 1
Forwards
9 FW Nigeria NGA Efan Ekoku 41 12 28+2 11 6 0 5 1
10 FW England ENG Dean Holdsworth 36 9 10+15 5 3+3 2 4+1 2
11 FW England ENG Marcus Gayle 49 13 34+2 8 6 2 7 3
14 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Jon Goodman 17 1 6+7 1 0+3 0 1 0
20 FW England ENG Mick Harford 19 1 3+9 1 0+2 0 0+5 0
22 FW England ENG Andy Clarke 18 1 4+7 1 1 0 2+4 0
23 FW England ENG Jason Euell 8 2 4+3 2 0 0 1 0
26 FW England ENG Carl Cort 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
Players who left the club during the season

References

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  1. ^ "Wimbledon 1996-1997 Home - statto.com". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  2. ^ "FootballSquads - Wimbledon - 1996/97".

Notes

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  1. ^ Sullivan was born in Sutton, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and made his international debut for Scotland in 1997.
  2. ^ Jones was born in Watford, England, but also qualified to represent Wales through his maternal grandfather and made his international debut for Wales in December 1994.
  3. ^ Thatcher was born in Swindon, England and represented them at U-21 level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his grandmother and made his international debut for Wales in March 2004.
  4. ^ Earle was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, and was called up for England without playing, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally and made his international debut for Jamaica in 1997.
  5. ^ Ekoku was born in Cheetham, England, but also qualified to represent Nigeria internationally and made his international debut for Nigeria in 1994.
  6. ^ Gayle was born in Hammersmith, London, and represented them at U-18 level, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally through his father and would make his international debut for Jamaica in 1998.
  7. ^ Goodman was born in Waltham Forest, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1997.
  8. ^ Jupp was born in Haslemere, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
  9. ^ Euell was born in Lambeth, England, and represented them at U-21 level, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally through his father and would make his international debut for Jamaica in November 2004.
  10. ^ Cort was born in Southwark, England, but also qualified to represent Guyana internationally and would make his international debut for Guyana in 2011.
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