1996–97 Wimbledon F.C. season
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.
| 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 August) |
| Lowest home attendance | 3,811 (vs. Portsmouth, 18 September) |
| Average home league attendance | 14,416 |
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 | Qualification for the 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 | Qualification for the 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:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
- 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
Results
Wimbledon's score comes first[1]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
FA Premier League
| 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
| 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
| 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
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.
|
|
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Reserve squad
- 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.
|
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:
£1,900,000 - Transfers out:
£140,000 - Total spending: £1,760,000
Statistics
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||||
| 1 | GK |  SCO |
Neil Sullivan | 50 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 13 | GK |  ENG |
Paul Heald | 4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Defenders | |||||||||||||
| 2 | DF |  IRL |
Kenny Cunningham | 50 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 3 | DF | ENG |
Alan Kimble | 45 | 0 | 28+3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 5 | DF | ENG |
Dean Blackwell | 41 | 0 | 22+5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 6 | DF | ENG |
Ben Thatcher | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | DF | ENG |
Chris Perry | 51 | 2 | 37 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 15 | DF | ENG |
Alan Reeves | 4 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | ||
| 17 | DF | SCO |
Brian McAllister | 29 | 0 | 19+4 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 21 | DF | SCO |
Duncan Jupp | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||||
| 4 | MF |  WAL |
Vinnie Jones | 43 | 3 | 29 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 7 | MF |  NOR |
Øyvind Leonhardsen | 41 | 6 | 27 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 6+1 | 1 | ||
| 8 | MF |  JAM |
Robbie Earle | 45 | 11 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 18 | MF | ENG |
Neal Ardley | 43 | 2 | 33 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | ||
| 19 | MF | ENG |
Stewart Castledine | 7 | 2 | 4+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 24 | MF | ENG |
Peter Fear | 21 | 1 | 9+8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Forwards | |||||||||||||
| 9 | FW |  NGA |
Efan Ekoku | 41 | 12 | 28+2 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 10 | FW | ENG |
Dean Holdsworth | 36 | 9 | 10+15 | 5 | 3+3 | 2 | 4+1 | 2 | ||
| 11 | FW | ENG |
Marcus Gayle | 49 | 13 | 34+2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 14 | FW | IRL |
Jon Goodman | 17 | 1 | 6+7 | 1 | 0+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FW | ENG |
Mick Harford | 19 | 1 | 3+9 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | ||
| 22 | FW | ENG |
Andy Clarke | 18 | 1 | 4+7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | ||
| 23 | FW | ENG |
Jason Euell | 8 | 2 | 4+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 26 | FW | ENG |
Carl Cort | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Players who left the club during the season | |||||||||||||
References
- "Wimbledon 1996-1997 Home - statto.com". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- "FootballSquads - Wimbledon - 1996/97".
Notes
- Sullivan was born in Sutton, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and made his international debut for Scotland in 1997.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ekoku was born in Cheetham, England, but also qualified to represent Nigeria internationally and made his international debut for Nigeria in 1994.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jupp was born in Haslemere, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
- 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.
- 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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