The Southern League`s Outstanding Teams - Wimbledon

Another of the league`s great teams of the past.

ALLEN BATSFORD took over at Wimbledon in 1974 and led them to three straight Southern League titles and election to the Football League in 1977, replacing Workington.

Under his guidance Wimbledon also had a remarkable FA Cup run in 1974/75.

In round three they won at First Division side Burnley, and in the Fourth Round took reigning champions Leeds United to a replay.

Batsford resigned as Wimbledon manager midway through their first season in the old Fourth Division, being succeeded by Dario Gradi, and after that he went on to be youth team coach at Millwall.

But the Wimbledon side that won three titles certainly deserves to be lauded as one of the best in the league`s history.

Several of Batsford`s heroes enjoyed playing a part in all three championships, including goalkeeper DICKIE GUY, who became a household name during the famous cup run.

On Millwall's books as a junior, Guy was working as a tally clerk in the London Docks when Wimbledon signed him from Tooting & Mitcham United in 1967.

He made his debut at Stevenage in April 1968 and went on to be virtually ever-present in the Wimbledon goal for the next decade and between 17th January 1970 and 22nd August 1977 he didn`t miss a match - a remarkable 314 consecutive games.

He gained nationwide fame when he saved Peter Lorimer's penalty in the cup tie with Leeds in January 1975.

With the likes of JEFF BRYANT, DAVE DONALDSON and BILLY EDWARDS in front of him, Guy was part of one of the meanest defences the Southern League has ever seen.

Conceding just 22 goals in 42 games in 1976/77, the Dons won their third successive Southern League title and a place in the Football League. Having made his Fourth Division debut against Halifax Town on the opening day he was soon replaced by first Richard Teale and then, the New Year, by Ray Goddard.

He left Wimbledon for Maidstone United in the summer of 1978 after appearing in more than 500 games for the Dons.

Bryant signed for Wimbledon in April 1973 after being released by Fulham.

The centre-back played in the last three games of the 1972/73 season before serving a five-month ban for recording his age incorrectly when trying to get into the England Youth team at Craven Cottage.

On his return to the Wimbledon team, in January 1974, he scored in his first game - a 2-2 draw at Chelmsford City - and helped his struggling side avoid relegation as the campaign threatened to end in disaster.

Following the appointment of Batsford that summer, Bryant was voted player of the year in 1975/76, after a season in which he had been outstanding as the club completed a Southern League and cup `double`.

Bryant went on to write his name into the history books on 20th August 1977 when he scored the club's first Football League goal after 50 minutes of their Fourth Division opener against Halifax.

That year he made 43 League appearances as the side finished the campaign in mid-table.

A brave defender who made 216 appearances in total, he scored the majority of his 32 goals for the club from set-pieces, particularly corners.

He went on to play for Bournemouth for a season and then back into non-League football with Gravesend & Northfleet and Tooting.

Donaldson was part of the successful Walton & Hersham side that won the 1973 FA Amateur Cup and dumped Brian Clough's Brighton team out of the FA Cup the following year.

He had been capped by England at amateur level before he joined the Dons in the summer of 1974.

The stylish centre-back formed a brilliant partnership with the more rugged Bryant at the heart of what became the meanest defence in non-League football.

After missing just 6 league games during those title-winning years he became the oldest man ever to make his Football League debut when he captained the Dons in their match against Halifax aged 35.

Voted the club's player of the year that season he was instrumental in helping the Dons gain promotion from the Fourth Division the next year although by now age was finally catching up with him.

Unwilling to jeopardise his successful job at British Airways he stayed part-time and played his last game for the club at Hereford United in May 1979.

He moved onto Southern League South Division outfit Addlestone that summer.

Edwards began his career with Tottenham Hotspur where he played centre-half as their youth team won the 1970 FA Youth Cup.

Unable to progress at White Hart Lane he teamed up with Batsford at Walton & Hersham and, having been converted to left-back, was part of the successful Stompond Lane outfit that won the Amateur Cup in 1973 before he starred in the 4-0 victory over Brighton in the FA Cup the season after.

Moving to Plough Lane with his manager in the summer of 1974 and was virtually ever-present as the club completed a hat-trick of title triumphs before being elected to the Football League.

He was voted player of the year following the 1976/77 and after making his Football League debut at Torquay United in the club's third Fourth Division match he went on to play 21 more games for the club before he moved onto Maidstone United following the arrival of Dario Gradi as manager in January 1978.

He enjoyed three seasons at London Road before becoming player-manager at Tooting & Mitcham.

BOB STOCKLEY spent three years at Coventry City, playing in the 1968 FA Youth Cup final, before joining Poole Town in the Southern League.

He was signed for the Dons by Mike Everitt during the 1972 close season and played more often at full-back.

Despite being almost ever-present during the Dons' historic 1974/75 season, a suspension meant he missed the start of the following season and after a spell in the reserves he joined Atherstone Town in October 1975 for a nominal £300 fee.

DAVE BASSETT went on to become the best-known of all the Wimbledon players of that era.

Before making his name as a manager, he was a key defensive midfielder, playing for Hayes between 1961 and 1963, returning to the club on two occasions from 1964 to 1966 and 1968 to 1969.

He also played for Wycombe Wanderers in 1963/64, for St Albans City and Walton & Hersham between 1969 and 1974, where he was captain of the side that won the Amateur Cup and was also capped by England at amateur level.

He joined Wimbledon in 1974 and made 141 appearances in the Southern League and 39 in the League before retiring from playing and becoming assistant manager in 1977.

GLENN AITKEN began his career with Chelsea but failed to break into the first team and was on the verge of quitting football, after unsuccessful trials with a number of other clubs, when he was signed by Fourth Division Gillingham in 1972.

He made 23 appearances and helped the Gills gain promotion to the Third Division in 1974, following which he moved to Wimbledon.

He became a regular for the club and captained the Dons to the 1977 title, after which the club was elected into the Football League.

Aitken made 11 League appearances for the Dons, scoring one goal but at the end of Wimbledon's first League season, he left the club and dropped back into non-League football with Maidstone United.

He went on to play for Dartford but left the club in controversial circumstances after a joke he told at an awards ceremony offended the local Mayor!

He had a short spell with Chatham Town before ending his career at Thanet United.

MICKY MAHON was a winger who, although born in Manchester, played his early football in the north east with Newcastle United and North Shields.

In 1966 he was signed by Port Vale and went on to make just under 100 appearances and score 21 goals before moving to York City in 1969.

He played 20 times with 10 goals for the Minstermen and then moved south to Colchester United, where he played 136 times, scoring 26 goals and was a member of the side that famously beat Leeds United in the FA Cup in 1971.

He signed for Wimbledon for a £1,500 fee in December 1973 and was a member of the side that beat Burnley in the FA Cup in 1975, and he scored the winning goal in their 1–0 victory but was unable to repeat his feat of beating Leeds in the next round.

He played his part in the successive title wins before calling time on his career before the Dons gained a place in the League.

KIERON SOMERS was a 6' 3" Irish amateur international forward, one of many ex-Walton & Hersham players who followed Batsford to Wimbledon in 1974/75.

He had joined Walton after playing for Wembley and Wealdstone, and after winning the Amateur Cup with the Swans he and Roger Connell spent the 1973/74 season at Hendon before joining the Dons.

Somers formed one half of the very successful forward partnership that lead Wimbledon to the first two of their three consecutive Southern League titles and the famous 1974/75 cup run.

He left for Slough Town at the start of the 1976/77 season where he carried on his goalscoring exploits over the following two seasons, bagging 36 goals in 90 appearances.

ROGER CONNELL re-united with Batsford and Somers at Plough Lane in the summer of 1974 and became top scorer for the next four seasons.

The big, burly north made his debut at Nuneaton Borough in August 1974 and went on to grab 26 goals in all competitions in what many judged the greatest season in the club's history.

The next year he was on target 19 times before netting 18 goals in the club's final Southern League campaign.

He scored on his Football League debut at home to Halifax and continued to lead the attack even after new boss Dario Gradi's New Year cull of the old guard of players.

IAN COOKE is a legend in the history of Wimbledon. Topping the all-time
appearance list, he was a loyal clubman whose playing career spanned the Isthmian and all of Wimbledon's Southern League tenure.

A wily and prolific goalscorer who still found the net regularly from midfield in the twilight of his career, he went on to captain the club under Batsford.

He played in the club's last two games as an amateur side, and when the decision was taken to turn semi-pro his employers, Westminster Bank, initially refused to let him sign.

Ironically his playing career with the club finally came to an end when the Dons were promoted to the professional ranks of the Football League. He had made 615 appearance and his 297 goals is also the second highest number scored for the club.

SELWYN RICE was a tough-tackling inside forward who signed professional forms for Exeter City in 1965 and went on to play for Weymouth and, after four seasons at Gloucester City, Mike Everitt beat off interest from Hereford United to lure him to Wimbledon at the start of the 1971/72 season.

In October 1972 Everitt agreed to release Rice to Guildford City, but the player turned down the move, outlasting the manager and becoming a pivotal part of Batsford's successful Dons side.

He then struggled to get into the side in 1976/77 - his only competitive start ended with him being sent-off at Maidstone - and spent most of the season in the reserves before signing for Cheltenham Town for £150 just before the transfer deadline in April 1977.

Wimbledon's last game as a non-League club was Rice's testimonial, at the end of the 1976/77 season.

After Cheltenham, he went on to play for Cinderford Town, Dulwich Hamlet and Barnstaple Town.

BILLY AITKEN was signed from Barnet for £2,000 at the start of the 1975/76 campaign and scored 34 goals as both of the club's last two years as a non-League side.

He kept his place as Wimbledon set out in the Fourth Division and he had scored 7 goals in 15 league games before he was sold to Hereford United for £8,000.

Subsequently with Brentford and Aylesbury United, he re-signed for Barnet in July 1981 but when his career ended early due to injury he sadly took his own life.

JOHN LESLIE was signed from Dulwich Hamlet as a teenager in December 1975 and famously scored 4 goals on his debut in a Southern League game at Stourbridge in March 1976 only to be dropped the following week!

He established himself in the side towards the end of the following season and scored one of the goals that beat Kettering Town in the April 1977 Southern League title decider.

When the Dons joined the Football League that summer, Leslie became a key member of the side that survived that first campaign before gaining promotion the following year.

Despite being the club's leading scorer, he could not agree on a new contract and he was sold to Gillingham for £10,000 in the summer of 1983.

After two seasons with the Gills, he signed for Millwall and subsequently played for Fisher Athletic and Grays Athletic.

KEVIN TILLEY started out at QPR and joined Wimbledon on a free transfer in September 1975 and became a regular member of the side as the club completed a hat trick of Southern League titles in 1977.

He made 15 Fourth Division appearances before moving to Aylesbury United, Hayes, Staines Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Slough Town, Basingstoke Town and Southall.

LEO MARKHAM was a free-scoring forward in the Athenian League with Marlow and had trials at Chelsea and Derby before signing professionally for Watford, where he was converted to centre-back and made 33 appearances, scoring 3 times for the Hornets.

After a trial at home-town club Wycombe Wanderers, he signed for Southern League Bedford Town a week into the 1975/76 season where he scored 5 times in 43 games.

He joined Wimbledon for a small fee in August 1976 and became a regular in midfield towards the end of the season but left when the Dons gained admission to the Football League.

He moved to Aylesbury United, becoming player-manager after a season and scoring 30 goals in 165 appearances before leaving soon after the start of the 1982/83 season.