# 2001–02 Wimbledon F.C. season

During the 2001–02 English football season, Wimbledon F.C. competed in the Football League First Division. It was their second consecutive season at this level.

## Season summary

Wimbledon's form dipped slightly from the previous season and the Dons finished in 9th place, one place lower than the previous season. This was not considered good enough and led to the sacking of manager Terry Burton after two years. He was replaced by goalkeeping coach Stuart Murdoch.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Wimbledon, already one of the smallest clubs in the division financially in spite of having been a Premiership club for the previous fifteen seasons, had fallen on hard times. In August 2001 the club announced its intention to move to Milton Keynes; the move was approved by the FA in April. Many Wimbledon fans, disgusted by this decision, created their own football club in response, AFC Wimbledon.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Burnley | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 70 | 62 | +8 | 75 |
| 8 | Preston North End | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 71 | 59 | +12 | 72 |
| 9 | Wimbledon | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 63 | 57 | +6 | 67 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 70 | 62 | +8 | 66 |
| 11 | Coventry City | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 66 |

## Results

Wimbledon's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Nationwide League Division One

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 11 August 2001 | Birmingham City | H | 3–1 | 9,142 | Shipperley, Cooper, Purse (og) |
| 18 August 2001 | Burnley | A | 2–3 | 14,473 | Nielsen, Shipperley |
| 25 August 2001 | Norwich City | H | 0–1 | 6,084 | |
| 27 August 2001 | Preston North End | A | 1–1 | 13,349 | Shipperley |
| 9 September 2001 | Watford | A | 0–3 | 15,466 | |
| 12 September 2001 | Portsmouth | H | 3–3 | 7,138 | Cooper, Hughes, Connolly |
| 15 September 2001 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–1 | 6,590 | Hughes |
| 18 September 2001 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 4–0 | 5,563 | Brown, Connolly, Cooper, Nielsen |
| 22 September 2001 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–0 | 19,222 | Shipperley |
| 25 September 2001 | Millwall | H | 2–2 | 7,020 | Connolly, Agyemang |
| 29 September 2001 | Manchester City | A | 4–0 | 32,989 | Connolly (2 1(pen)), Shipperley (2) |
| 13 October 2001 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–4 | 20,009 | |
| 20 October 2001 | Gillingham | H | 3–1 | 8,042 | Cooper (2), Hughes |
| 24 October 2001 | Coventry City | H | 0–1 | 5,883 | |
| 27 October 2001 | Rotherham United | A | 2–3 | 5,586 | Connolly, McAnuff |
| 30 October 2001 | Bradford City | A | 3–3 | 18,255 | Connolly (2), Cooper |
| 3 November 2001 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–1 | 6,189 | Roberts, McAnuff |
| 9 November 2001 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | 4,937 | Cooper |
| 17 November 2001 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 11,088 | Cooper |
| 20 November 2001 | Walsall | H | 2–2 | 4,249 | Connolly (2) |
| 24 November 2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 9,873 | |
| 1 December 2001 | Coventry City | A | 1–3 | 17,303 | McAnuff |
| 8 December 2001 | Stockport County | A | 2–1 | 4,673 | Cooper, Connolly |
| 16 December 2001 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–0 | 5,920 | Willmott |
| 22 December 2001 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 17,286 | Connolly (pen) |
| 29 December 2001 | Preston North End | H | 2–0 | 6,051 | Shipperley, Agyemang |
| 12 January 2002 | Burnley | H | 0–0 | 7,675 | |
| 19 January 2002 | Birmingham City | A | 2–0 | 17,766 | Hughes, Agyemang |
| 29 January 2002 | Walsall | A | 1–2 | 5,388 | Shipperley |
| 3 February 2002 | Manchester City | H | 2–1 | 10,664 | Shipperley (2) |
| 9 February 2002 | Gillingham | A | 0–0 | 8,494 | |
| 16 February 2002 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–1 | 13,564 | Francis |
| 19 February 2002 | Watford | H | 0–0 | 5,551 | |
| 23 February 2002 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | 13,788 | Cooper |
| 2 March 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 0–1 | 8,363 | |
| 6 March 2002 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–1 | 18,930 | Connolly, Ardley |
| 9 March 2002 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–0 | 24,292 | |
| 12 March 2002 | Portsmouth | A | 2–1 | 13,118 | Cooper, Connolly |
| 16 March 2002 | Stockport County | H | 3–1 | 5,224 | Connolly (2), Ardley |
| 23 March 2002 | Grimsby Town | A | 2–6 | 6,473 | Shipperley, Agyemang |
| 30 March 2002 | Rotherham United | H | 1–0 | 4,751 | Morgan |
| 1 April 2002 | Sheffield United | A | 1–0 | 19,712 | Ardley |
| 4 April 2002 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–0 | 5,007 | Shipperley, McAnuff |
| 6 April 2002 | Bradford City | H | 1–2 | 5,595 | Connolly (pen) |
| 14 April 2002 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 26,920 | |
| 21 April 2002 | Barnsley | H | 0–1 | 5,379 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 8 January 2002 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–0 | 6,885 | |
| R3R | 15 January 2002 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–2 | 9,687 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 21 August 2001 | Brighton and Hove Albion | A | 1–2 | 6,344 | Williams |

## Kit

German company Puma remained Wimbledon's kit manufacturers.

## Players
### First-team squad

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 | ENG | Kelvin Davis |
| 2 | DF | IRL | Kenny Cunningham |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Alan Kimble |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Andy Roberts |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Dean Blackwell |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Darren Holloway |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Neal Ardley |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Damien Francis |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Neil Shipperley |
| 10 | FW | IRL | David Connolly |
| 12 | DF | NOR | Trond Andersen |
| 14 | GK | ENG | Paul Heald |
| 16 | MF | NIR | Michael Hughes (on loan to Birmingham City) |
| 17 | DF | NIR | Mark Williams |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Gareth Ainsworth |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Paul Robinson |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Patrick Agyemang |
| 21 | DF | SCO | Duncan Jupp |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Chris Willmott |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Peter Hawkins |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Jermaine Darlington |
| 26 | GK | USA | Ian Feuer |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Wayne Gray |
| 28 | MF | SWE | Pär Karlsson |
| 29 | DF | IRL | Des Byrne |
| 30 | MF | ENG | Rob Gier |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Lionel Morgan |
| 32 | MF | ENG | Adam Nowland |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Alex Tapp |
| 34 | FW | ENG | Ian Selley |
| 35 | MF | JAM | Jobi McAnuff |
| 36 | MF | SWE | Håkan Mild |
| 37 | MF | ENG | Mikele Leigertwood |
| 38 | GK | ENG | Shane Gore |
| 39 | MF | ENG | Nigel Reo-Coker |
| — | MF | GER | Simon Mensing |

### Left club during 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 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Kevin Cooper (to Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
| 15 | FW | DEN | David Nielsen (to Norwich City) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Wayne Brown (on loan from Ipswich Town) |

## Appearances and goals

    Source:
    Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.
    Players with names struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
    Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Wimbledon.
    Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
Players contracted for the 2001–02 season :
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Kelvin Davis | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | IRL | Kenny Cunningham | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Alan Kimble | 7 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 (2) | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Andy Roberts | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Dean Blackwell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Darren Holloway | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Neal Ardley | 27 (2) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 (2) | 3 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Damien Francis | 21 (2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 (2) | 1 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Neil Shipperley | 36 (5) | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 (5) | 12 |
| 10 | FW | IRL | David Connolly | 35 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 18 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Kevin Cooper † | 39 (1) | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 (1) | 10 |
| 12 | DF | NOR | Trond Andersen | 27 (3) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 (3) | 0 |
| 14 | GK | ENG | Paul Heald | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | DEN | David Nielsen † | 6 (6) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 (6) | 2 |
| 16 | MF | NIR | Michael Hughes | 24 (2) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 (2) | 4 |
| 17 | DF | NIR | Mark Williams | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 (1) | 1 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Gareth Ainsworth | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Paul Robinson | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Patrick Agyemang | 17 (16) | 4 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 16 (19) | 4 |
| 21 | DF | SCO | Duncan Jupp | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Chris Willmott | 25 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 (2) | 1 |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Peter Hawkins | 25 (4) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 (4) | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Jermaine Darlington | 25 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 (4) | 0 |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Wayne Brown * † | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 26 | GK | USA | Ian Feuer | 2 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 (2) | 0 |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Wayne Gray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | SWE | Pär Karlsson | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (6) | 0 |
| 29 | DF | IRL | Des Byrne | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Rob Gier | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Lionel Morgan | 4 (7) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (7) | 1 |
| 32 | MF | ENG | Adam Nowland | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (6) | 0 |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Alex Tapp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | ENG | Ian Selley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | JAM | Jobi McAnuff | 22 (16) | 4 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 (18) | 4 |
| 36 | MF | SWE | Håkan Mild | 8 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (1) | 0 |
| 37 | DF | ENG | Mikele Leigertwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 38 | GK | ENG | Shane Gore | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 39 | MF | ENG | Nigel Reo-Coker | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |