AFC Wimbledon extend 'open invitation' to Newcastle after securing 'special bond'

AFC Wimbledon left St James' Park with their heads held high after keeping Newcastle United at bay for 90 minutes except for Fabian Schar's winning penalty.

The Dons defended diligently and were it not for Miguel Almiron earning the spot kick at the end of the first half the game could easily have gone to a penalty shoot-out.

That would likely have made up for all the hassle the club went through just getting to the game after the original fixture, which was due to take place last week at Plough Lane got thrown into doubt after heavy rains caused huge damage to the Wimbledon pitch.

Newcastle were quick to contact Wimbledon and the EFL to rearrange the fixture and even donated £15,000 to a Just Giving page set up to help the club with costs. Newcastle fans also donated in their droves creating a bond between the two clubs.

Wimbledon's fans were in fine voice at St James' Park on Tuesday night

The 1500-strong travelling Wimbledon fans unfurled a huge banner thanking Newcastle and the fans for their generosity (before serenading the very quiet St James' Park crowd with several renditions of "Your support is F-ing poop", the irony of which made me chuckle).

The Northern Echo spoke with Wimbledon managing director James Woodroof who spoke about the challenges of the past week and the appreciation he has for Newcastle's help.

“It's been a mad week. Thankfully, Newcastle were outstanding when we broke the news to them on Monday morning and quickly offered to reverse the fixture which was a fantastic gesture and offer.

“They've been first class ever since, making a significant donation to the club and hundreds of Newcastle supporters have thrown their arm around us. Newcastle to a person have been outstanding with us and I can't thank them enough. We have 1,500 fans here and I think there's now a special bond between the clubs. I’m really hopeful that bond can continue for years to come.”

Wimbledon hope Newcastle will grace Plough Lane with their presence soon

Woodroof went on to explain the disappointment of not being able to host Newcastle before ultimately extending an open invitation to the Magpies which could see a pre-season friendly arranged during the off-season next year.

“If we’d had to forfeit the game, it would have had a significant impact on us. Because we're fan owned, our ultimate ambition is to break even, there isn't someone writing a cheque that can sustain losses of millions of pounds, which is what's happening in League Two.

“This would have had a monumental impact on us. We're very hopeful we can repair the pitch and get football back, but the really sad thing is we were looking forward to hosting Newcastle and had sold every seat and after knocking Ipswich out, we were really looking forward to that. Unfortunately, that was taken away from us but one good thing that has come out of it is this (the trip to St James’). But it’s a bittersweet moment really.”

“We’ll have to put that to Eddie (Howe). We would absolutely love that. It's an open invitation to Newcastle to have a pre-season friendly with us. We'd love to continue this relationship. We would love to host Newcastle in years to come.”