Football | AFC Wimbledon 1 - 0 Walsall

AFC Wimbledon sealed promotion to League One

They clinched a return to League One after a tense 1-0 play-off final win over Walsall at Wembley Stadium, marking the end of their three-year stay in League Two.

Author | Kris Stuart

A crisp, first-half stoppage-time finish from Myles Hippolyte proved decisive, as Johnnie Jackson’s side displayed the defensive steel that has defined their season. 

The Wombles, who boasted the best defensive record in League Two with just 35 goals conceded, held firm against a Walsall side that had topped the table in January before a dramatic slump in form.

As the full-time was blown, an enormous cheer came from the Wimbledon end. This was job done. Those running the club, the majority of which are fans, will now start planning for how they can progress in the third tier of English football.

How The Wombles returned to League One

Wimbledon’s path to promotion was built on a foundation of defensive solidity. They kept clean sheets in both legs of their semi-final against Notts County, and that organisation again proved vital under the Wembley arch. 

When Hippolyte found the bottom corner with a precise, low strike following a blocked volley from Marcus Browne, it always felt like a tall order for Walsall to recover.#

Though Browne had earlier tested Walsall keeper Tommy Simkin with a dipping effort from range, chances were otherwise scarce in a cagey first half. But Hippolyte’s breakthrough, arriving at the end of a scrappy set-piece situation, sent the Wimbledon end of Wembley into raptures.

READ MORE | Visit Midlands Super Local News for the Walsall reaction

READ MORE | EFL play-offs: 24/25

An AFC Wimbledon supporter told us: "From a fan perspective, I can't speak highly enough of the players, the way they've gone about it this season, through setbacks. We had the stuff earlier in the season with the pitch, which was unprecedented and knocked us out of our stride. We spoke then about how we'd laugh about it when we got promoted! We hope that would come to fruition and thankfully it did."

Brief tactical analysis

Wimbledon earned this promotion. There was luck and no controversy. It was all about how good they've been.

Pundits and former players often talk about gameplans but every single one of those Wimbledon players on the day executed this to perfection.

The second half of the game wasn’t impressive, but Wimbledon didn’t need it to be. They required a scrappy performance, and that’s exactly what they delivered. Walsall struggled; they were uncreative and lacked ideas.

Wimbledon did what was necessary and could have even scored a couple of goals on the counterattack, but that doesn’t matter to them. They walked off the pitch as winners, and that’s all that counts.