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AFC Wimbledon, a League Two club, has made a huge offer to Newcastle United

Published

2 months ago

October 4, 2024

Kelvin

League Two side. AFC Wimbledon has extended a “open invitation” to Premier League side Newcastle United for a pre-season friendly this summer.

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The Dons were scheduled to face Eddie Howes’ team in the EFL Cup, but heavy rain caused significant damage to the pitch, preventing the game from being played at Plough Lane. The River Wandle overflowed its banks, flooding parts of the stadium and surrounding surroundings.

Wimbledon fans set up a JustGiving page to collect money for pitch restoration. Newcastle United generously gave £15,000 to the cause, which delighted the organisers.

The game had to be rescheduled, and over 1500 fans travelled to Newcastle’s St James’ Park on short notice to watch their team lose 1-0.

Now, managing director James Woodroof has sent an offer to the Premier League side to play a friendly at Plough Lane. Speaking to The Chronicle Live:

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“There is an open invitation to Newcastle to come for a pre-season friendly with us. Whatever it would look like.

“We would love to continue this relationship. We wanted to be ambitious and turn Newcastle over to face Chelsea, but we have a very strong team, and we are really hopeful.

“We’d love to host Newcastle in years to come. It is a great question we will put that to Eddie Howe.”

A positive relationship

One of the most beneficial characteristics of cup competitions is how they bring lower-level clubs together with their top-flight counterparts. While the circumstances surrounding this have been unpleasant, the positive friendship may help Wimbledon in the future. Premier League clubs frequently work with a lot of EFL clubs to send loan players to develop, and a pre-season friendly at Plough Lane would allow both sides to assess one other.

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While the offer has not been accepted, it demonstrates Wimbledon’s willingness to maintain and reciprocate their generosity.