AFC Wimbledon managing director James Woodroof hoping Plough Lane can host Carlisle United clash

AFC Wimbledon’s managing director James Woodroof has described the donations to help repair their Plough Lane pitch as “absolutely phenomenal”.

The Dons hope to be able to host Carlisle United on October 12 despite the stadium and pitch being damaged after heavy rainfall caused the banks of the River Wandle to burst on Sunday night.

The Dons were forced to postpone their EFL Cup third round clash against Premier League big-hitters Newcastle United on Tuesday evening.  Tomorrow’s League Two game against Accrington Stanley has also been called off.

Wimbledon’s next scheduled home game is against Carlisle United on October 12, with diggers beginning work on excavating the pitch on Wednesday morning.

“That game is absolutely our target,” Woodroof told the South London Press.

“Until the diggers have finished excavating, it’s still too early to say. We’re hopeful that will be possible.

“It’s been particularly challenging for the team here and myself. My colleagues and everyone associated with the club have been flat out.

“It’s been an overwhelming 48 hours. We are making significant progress each and every hour. It’s pleasing to have all of the club staff back on site.  We’re going to try and open the stadium on Friday, so the shop will open and the comedy night will proceed.”

An estimated 100,000 litres worth of water has already been pumped out of the stadium, with damage to the pitch having ripped away parts of the playing surface.

“It was extremely serious,” said Woodroof.

“The whole concourse, our offices and everything on ground level, was flooded.

“The water wasn’t dissipating. We had the tankers in on Monday night to remove the water.

“When we came on in Tuesday, that had a significant impact as we were able to walk around the entire stadium and the offices – we weren’t in standing water anywhere. It was a remarkable clean-up effort on Monday night. The pitch is now the focus of everyone’s attention.”

The River Wandle has not burst its banks since 1968, but Woodroof has confirmed that the club had insurance.

He said: “The unpredicted deluge of water in a short space of time overwhelmed the systems.

“Essentially, there was nowhere for our surface water to escape due to the Wandle being full. 

“It’s likely to be a collection of issues. The stadium went through the necessary testing and had the infrastructure in place that was suitable for our location.

“Until we get to inspect the tank closely, it’s unclear at this stage why we had this eruption on the pitch.”

Wimbledon’s cup game against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side has been rearranged for October 1 at St James’ Park.

Wimbledon did everything they could to find a suitable venue to host the game against Accrington but the short timeframe meant the game was postponed on Wednesday.

Woodroof said: “Within a few hours, we had a very kind offer on the table from Newcastle to reverse the fixture.

“It was a quick decision for us to make. Our next focus was on this Saturday and seeing if we could find a viable location.

“We’re going to have a bit of a fixture backlog possibly, so we needed to move swiftly on that.

“We’re a lean team, and we have divided accordingly to the best of our ability in the circumstances. We’re in unprecedented territory here.”

A JustGiving page has been set up by fan and former Dons Trust board member Graham Stacey to raise funds to help Wimbledon repair the damage.

The page has already raised more than £100,000, with former players Lee Brown, Jack Currie and Kasey McAteer all donating.

Newcastle United also made a sizeable £15,000 donation towards helping the Dons.

“It’s absolutely phenomenal and it’s very humbling,” said Woodroof.

“Everybody associated with AFC Wimbledon is eternally grateful for anyone who has made a donation, sent us a message or offered their time and support.

“Every single donation and message is warmly received. It shows the power of Wimbledon supporters and how fondly the wider footballing community look at our club.

“It’s a very unique scenario. We are very grateful and we always will be for anyone who has helped us in our hour of need.”

PICTURES: Micah Crook/KontentHas/AFC Wimbledon