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AFC Wimbledon stadium flood ‘was a matter of time’

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AFC Wimbledon stadium flood 'was a matter of time'


The Dons Den Flooded Wimbledon stadiumThe Dons Den

In the 1950s, flooding was common at the site of AFC Wimbledon’s current stadium. The old venue was demolished in 2018, with the football club’s new ground built on the same site

The flooding of AFC Wimbledon’s football ground was “totally predictable”, a campaign group has said.

More than 100,000 litres of water was pumped from the Cherry Red Records Stadium after drains backed up overnight on 22 September.

Michael Burnage, of the Save Wimbledon Stadium Action Group, told the BBC: “We all knew that it was just a matter of time. The question in our mind was not if there would be a flood on the site, but when it would happen.”

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The Environment Agency said planning decisions were made by local authorities. Merton Council, which was responsible for the decision to approve the new stadium, said it was “sad to see the damage and disruption caused by flooding”.

PA Media Laden with pails and cloths, three members of the catering staff paddle through the flooded Wimbledon Stadium.PA Media

In 1957, the previous stadium’s catering staff had to wade through floodwater to access the ground

Two home matches – including a League Cup tie with Newcastle United – were postponed after the pitch collapsed following the latest flood. The first match back at the ground since the flooding will be against Carlisle United on Saturday.

The previous stadium, which opened in 1928, hosted greyhound racing until its closure in 2017 – which was described at the time as a “crime against happiness” by the Racing Post.

It also hosted stock car racing and speedway events, which ceased in 2005.

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Mr Burnage, whose group campaigned against the 2018 demolition of the stadium, said the area had flooded many times throughout its history.

Drone video shows collapsed pitch at AFC Wimbledon

He said: “Our campaign group have not been in the least surprised that the new stadium has seen such devastating flood damage.

“We have every sympathy for the staff and officials of AFC Wimbledon having to deal with the impact of this latest flood, but to say it was unpredictable is simply not true.

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“As part of our campaign, we highlighted our years of experience on the site, recalling the countless times that the stadium and the car park were flooded.”

He said that developers, the council, City Hall and the Environment Agency were all warned about the dangers of future flooding, adding: “We are incredibly frustrated by recent events.”

BBC/Harry Low View from the press box at Wimbledon's Plough LaneBBC/Harry Low

AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium opened in 2020
AFC Wimbledon Flooded AFC Wimbledon stadium exteriorAFC Wimbledon

The flooding it experienced last month was foreseen by some

More than £120,000 has been raised by the fan-owned club following the latest flooding.

Wimbledon FC left its original home at nearby Plough Lane in 1991 because legislation required all-seater stadiums.

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Following a spell playing at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park, in 2004 the club was controversially rebranded as MK Dons after the owners moved it to Milton Keynes.

AFC Wimbledon was set up in 2002 as a non-league club, winning five promotions in nine years to rise from the depths of the Combined Counties League to reach the Football League in 2011.

During that time, the club played home matches at Kingsmeadow – which is now the home of Chelsea FC Women – before the move to the Cherry Red Records Stadium in November 2020.

The Dons Den Ronnie Greene, the stadium promoter pulls a trolley through flood waters, Cyril Brine is mounted on the speedway bikeThe Dons Den

Stadium promoter Ronnie Greene pulls a trolley through floodwater with Cyril Brine on his speedway bike
The Dons Den View of underwater Wimbledon stadium in 1968The Dons Den

In 1968 the old stadium suffered one its many floods, when the nearby River Wandle burst its banks

Jon Stevens, a curator of the Dons Den, which is home to many items from the previous stadium’s Speedway heyday, says “historically, it’s always flooded”.

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He told BBC London: “It’s been well documented that it’s flooded quite substantially.

“Regarding building a brand-new stadium and it still flooding, I guess maybe something’s been overlooked.

“I don’t know why they did that: that’s the million dollar question.

“Were there enough measures in place to combat any potential flood?”

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Aaron Paul speaks to AFC Wimbledon’s managing director James Woodroof

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “As the stadium is a brownfield redevelopment in a high-risk flood zone, its planning involved lengthy discussions, mapping and reports on how the flood risk would be managed.

“We originally objected to the proposed development due to insufficient information. Once this had been supplied, we were able to remove our objection and requested several planning conditions.”

A Merton Council spokesperson said: “The stadium is built on previously developed land with a historic risk of flooding, a risk common across many developed areas of London.

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“Given this risk, and the increase in flash flooding caused by our changing climate, the planning proposal was, like all proposals, examined rigorously.

“The council’s planning committee and the Environment Agency sought to ensure the stadium would remain safe, that the building would not increase risk of flooding nearby, including to homes, and that damage mitigation and recovery plans were thorough and robust.

“We are working closely with the Environment Agency and AFC Wimbledon to manage the risk of flooding, and to support in the review of the club’s flooding processes.”



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Rob Holding: Why has Crystal Palace defender been frozen out

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Rob Holding: Why has Crystal Palace defender been frozen out


Just over a year ago Rob Holding made a £4m deadline day switch from Arsenal to bolster Crystal Palace’s defence.

But a little more than 12 months on, when Palace issued a joint photo, external of the men’s and women’s squads to mark a club anniversary, the 29-year-old was nowhere to be seen.

Why has the two-time FA Cup winner’s career come to a standstill?

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Holding, who made 162 appearances for Arsenal over seven years, is currently training with the Eagles’ under-21 team following a disagreement with manager Oliver Glasner.

“Rob is training individually at the moment,” Glasner said on 1 September, when asked about the centre-back.

“We will talk together – he knows the reason. But it is something that stays between Rob and me. Nothing public.”

Sources with knowledge of the dispute have told BBC Sport that there was a disagreement about a post-match running session following Holding’s last involvement in the first team. He was an unused substitute in a 2-0 home defeat by West Ham on 24 August.

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Holding has only made one appearance for the club since he joined on a three-year deal, in the EFL Cup last season against Manchester United, and has not featured at all in the Premier League.

The U21s train at the club’s academy, a separate location to the first team’s base, and sources on both sides say that the situation for Holding is unlikely to change.

Sources close to the player say Holding is accepting of that and intends to keep training professionally and being the best he can in the circumstances.

Palace signed three centre-backs this summer, with Maxence Lacroix coming in from Wolfsburg in a deal worth £18m, Chadi Riad joining from Real Betis in a deal worth up to £14m and Trevoh Chalobah arriving on loan from Chelsea.

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The Eagles also kept hold of £70m-rated England centre-back Marc Guehi and have Chris Richards, Jefferson Lerma, Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne as options in defence. That means that if Holding did patch things up with Glasner, he would still potentially only be the club’s eighth or ninth-choice centre-back.

Holding has deleted all references to Crystal Palace from his Instagram page and has unfollowed the club on the platform. He is still listed as a first-team player on the Palace website.

He played the full 90 minutes for the under-21s in their 3-1 victory over Gillingham in the EFL Trophy two weeks ago.

Holding is reported to have been an excellent role model at the academy, with one source describing his impact around the U21 team as “brilliant”.

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But the road to first-team favour seems like a long way back for the former Arsenal player, even with Palace in the relegation zone and winless from their opening seven Premier League games.



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Aberdeen’s Jack MacKenzie set for Scotland call-up – gossip

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Aberdeen's Jack MacKenzie set for Scotland call-up - gossip


Aberdeen left-back Jack MacKenzie, 24, is set to be called up to the Scotland squad. (Press and Journal – subscription), external

Torino striker Che Adams says he has still to hit the heights for Scotland that he has delivered at club level. (Daily Record), external

Dundee United defender Declan Gallagher will never give up on a Scotland recall but reckons team-mate Ross Graham could beat him to it. (Courier – subscription), external

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Rangers should have had a penalty against St Johnstone for a shirt pull on Cyriel Dessers, believes former referee Des Roache. (Daily Record), external

Ross County striker Ronan Hale was happy to block out shouts from Kasper Schmeichel about which corner to aim for as he beat the Celtic goalkeeper with a retaken penalty on Sunday. (Daily Record), external

Former Hearts coach Gordon Forrest has joined Chinese club Shenzhen Peng City until the end of the year. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Another ex-Hearts employee, Joe Savage, has set up a consultancy that will help broker deals between agents, clubs and players, after leaving the sporting director post at Tynecastle. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

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A contract extension for in-form Aberdeen full-back Nicky Devlin is a no-brainer, says former Pittodrie favourite Duncan Shearer. (Press & Journal – subscription), external

The “character and drive” of Kieron Bowie will bring the Hibernian forward back stronger after successful surgery to address a hamstring issue, says head coach David Gray. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Ianis Hagi will miss Rangers’ next three games after his red card against St Johnstone since he is suspended for two Scottish Premiership games, which are followed by a Europa League match he is ineligible for. (Daily Record), external

Ianis Hagi sent an Instagram message to fans thanking them for the warm welcome back after his long absence from the first team at Rangers. (Football Scotland), external

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Listen: 'Anything is possible!' – Can Aberdeen win the league?

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Listen: 'Anything is possible!' - Can Aberdeen win the league?



Martin Dowden asks if Aberdeen could possibly win the Scottish top flight



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Northern Ireland: Inexperienced keepers battle for Nations League opportunity after Bailey Peacock-Farrell injury

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Northern Ireland: Inexperienced keepers battle for Nations League opportunity after Bailey Peacock-Farrell injury


With eight international caps and playing regularly at Plymouth Argyle in the Championship before his injury, Hazard would have proven the natural deputy.

Pierce Charles, brother of midfielder Shea Charles, has put in a string of impressive performances for the Northern Ireland Under-21s this year, most especially in an away victory over Serbia in March and then when keeping a clean sheet against England last month.

O’Neill was sufficiently impressed with the 19-year-old to bring him along with the senior squad to Spain for a pair of friendlies in June. Although Charles did not win a first cap, O’Neill cited his ability on the ball as a major attribute to his game.

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“Pierce is one of those goalkeepers that everyone is looking for in the modern game,” O’Neill said before those friendlies.

“He’s got great distribution, real composure with the ball at his feet and we know at Sheffield Wednesday they really regard him highly.”

He has, however, been on the bench at Hillsborough with England Under-21 international James Beadle having been handed the number one jersey after his arrival from Brighton and Hove Albion on a season-long loan deal.

In a similar position at his club is Luke Southwood, the 26-year-old who was on the bench against Luxembourg and Bulgaria last month in Hazard’s absence.

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The Bolton Wanderers man, who won his sole cap in a 3-1 friendly win over Luxembourg in 2022, did start the 2-2 draw with Shrewsbury Town for his League One side last weekend but has spent the majority of the season behind Nathan Baxter.

O’Neill has consistently stressed a desire for his international players to be regularly playing at as high a level possible at their clubs.

Yet, before two important fixtures for his side, he is left with a decision between two keepers with precious few minutes in league action this season.

Northern Ireland are adjusting to life without Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, who called time on his international career last month. And the keeper who gets the nod will find their task made no easier by the absence of centre-back Dan Ballard through injury.

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And yet should either impress in this unexpected opportunity, after Peacock-Farrell’s recent struggles for club and country, it just might give O’Neill something to think about moving towards next year’s World Cup qualifiers.



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Draw was a fair result – Emery

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Draw was a fair result - Emery



Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says his side’s 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Villa Park wasn’t the best result, but it was a “fair” one.



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Premier League: Who is your club’s most irreplaceable player?

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Premier League: Who is your club's most irreplaceable player?


The word ‘irreplaceable’ has been bandied around in the last few weeks in the wake of Rodri’s season-ending injury for Manchester City.

But as the champions continue their attempts to cope without the Spain midfielder, it got us thinking – which other players would Premier League clubs most dread to lose?

We have come up with a shortlist for each club and want you to vote for your most irreplaceable player.

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