Winner of our Player of the Year award four seasons in a row, the former left-back led a distinguished career which saw him win every major honour on offer in English football.
Those trophies would come with Arsenal in his later years, but it was with the Dons that Nigel really found his feet, as he recently explained in an interview with talkSPORT.
“When I first moved into digs as a young player, you began to realise that every person that lived in Wimbledon had a link to the football club,” said Nigel. “It’s always been a family-run football club rather than a business.
“I used to go into the Dog & Fox Pub, even now I could sit outside any café and just people watch for a few hours. It’s a beautiful place to live.”
The defender was a member of the renowned Crazy Gang, who went on to become a formidable force in the 1980s and 1990s, winning over 160 league titles for the team in the process.
Because of their notoriety, the men in yellow and blue were dreaded by the upper classes; Nigel pointed out that the hard blows and abstract rituals were essential for fostering togetherness.
“I had the good fortune to play during a very successful time for Wimbledon Football Club,” he beamingly said. It was an uneven contest between underdogs and top dogs. They did not enjoy playing against us, I can tell you! They had no desire to visit Plough Lane.
“Your shoes would get nailed to the floor or your shoes would get cut in half. It was little things but it gave you that dose of spirit, camaraderie and togetherness.”
Naturally, Wimbledon’s 2002 season ended tragically, putting our football club’s very survival in jeopardy. However, as everyone is aware, the supporters rejected it, and as a result, we rose from the ashes to reclaim our community’s football team.
Nigel is as happy as everyone that we have made it back home, even though the choice from all those years ago still bitterly affects him.
“I was furious, really furious. I still refuse to accept it. If other clubs were taken over and had their names changed, I would vehemently object. AFC Wimbledon is once again a part of the community and where it belongs. We’re back where we belong home.
