'Crazy Gang' final '88: 'The beginning of the end'

It was the fairytale extremity to a travel that had taken Wimbledon FC from non-league shot to the precise apical of the English game, arsenic the celebrated "Crazy Gang" bushed Liverpool astatine Wembley to assistance the FA Cup successful 1988.

Lawrie Sanchez's 37th-minute victor was each that separated the teams, portion antheral of the lucifer Dave Beasant saved a John Aldridge punishment arsenic the Wombles sealed a legendary 1-0 win.

A agelong clip has passed since that day, Wimbledon FC has agelong since gone.

But connected Monday AFC Wimbledon caput to Wembley to look Walsall for a spot successful League One and their ain spot successful history.

"It benignant of enactment everyone connected the signifier and I deliberation the occurrence that we had that time unluckily was the opening of the end, due to the fact that a batch of radical started to deliberation 'I could bash with a small spot of that successful my team'," Beasant told BBC Sport.

Exactly 12 years aft that day, Wimbledon were relegated from the Premier League.

The pursuing year, a determination to Milton Keynes was announced and that extremity yet became a world successful 2003.

That 1988 last was the pinnacle of a meteoric emergence for the club, who had been playing non-league shot successful the Southern League conscionable 11 years before.

Beasant joined the Dons successful 1979 from London Spartan League broadside Edgware aft the nine had been promoted to the aged Third Division - present League One.

After a rollercoaster of 2 relegations and 4 promotions successful 7 seasons, Wimbledon reached the First Division to vie with the giants of English football.

It each culminated successful that time astatine Wembley and what would crook retired to beryllium Beasant's last crippled for the club, arsenic helium joined Newcastle United that summer.

"It was a defining infinitesimal successful my vocation that, archetypal and foremost to triumph a trophy, and [winning the] FA Cup last with Wimbledon was thing I ne'er ever dreamed I'd beryllium susceptible of doing," helium said.

"I was archetypal to permission and past a fewer others followed, radical started to prime Wimbledon apart.

"It was a large time and if you're going to bow retired astatine a nine that I'd been astatine for 9 years, I can't deliberation of a amended spot than present astatine Wembley and winning the FA Cup."

AFC Wimbledon question to Wembley to look Walsall connected Monday pursuing a 2-0 aggregate triumph implicit Notts County, reaching the last with a 1-0 triumph astatine their ain Cherry Red Records Stadium, conscionable a abbreviated region from the aged club's archetypal Plough Lane home.

It is their 2nd travel to the nationalist stadium, 9 years aft the archetypal - a 2-0 triumph implicit Plymouth Argyle successful the League Two play-off final.

"It was immense – the crowd, the roar, playing successful beforehand of I deliberation it was 66,000 connected that day," existent nine skipper Jake Reeves, who played that day, told BBC Radio London.

Goals from Lyle Taylor and Adebayo Akinfenwa secured the triumph for Neal Ardley's side.

This clip circular it volition beryllium Johnnie Jackson successful the blistery seat.

The erstwhile Charlton Athletic defender said his biggest regret was ne'er stepping retired nether the arch arsenic a subordinate himself.

"I grew up [in] possibly 1 of the past generations loving the [FA] Cup final. I went to a batch of cupful finals erstwhile I was younger watching Arsenal and it was ever my imagination to play determination and I ne'er got the opportunity," helium said.

"Winning it arsenic a manager would would apical that [winning arsenic a manager astatine Charlton successful 2019] and astir apt beryllium the item of my full career."

Barry Fuller was the skipper who lifted the trophy successful 2016.

AFC Wimbledon person since made an affectional instrumentality to Plough Lane and Reeves said helium hopes this existent broadside tin make their ain portion of past astatine the club.

"You spot each the photos from that time printed up astir the stadium and astir the ground. Obviously I cognize if I get to assistance the trophy past those memories volition unrecorded long," helium said.

Beasant added: "I looked backmost astatine what we achieved [going] from non-league shot to the archetypal part and winning the FA Cup 11 years later, that was an unbelievable travel and I ne'er thought that would beryllium emulated.

"But what [AFC] Wimbledon person done, starting adjacent little down the strategy and getting, archetypal and foremost, league shot again, was an accomplishment that benignant of matched what we done but successful a antithetic dimension.

"They're precise ambitious, the nine is fan-owned truthful it's for everyone. I deliberation they've done a much than superb job."