Welcome to the first 9yrspodcast Friday update. The aim of this page is to aggregate all the week’s news from around the club in one place, creating a simple, straightforward way for fans to keep on top of what’s happening at Plough Lane over the summer. If you have any news that you think we have missed, and that should be included here, please email 9yrs@may14.co.uk using the subject header, ‘Friday Update’.
We welcome your feedback on this update. Please use the comment function below to let us know your thoughts and suggestions.
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Ryan Johnson has signed a new contract with the club. The 28-year-old centre-half, who joined Wimbledon in the summer of 2023, has agreed a two-year deal. He said staying at Plough Lane was, “an easy decision to make”.
Craig Cope believes promotion was achieved by, “bringing everyone together”. In a wide-ranging interview on the official web site, our Director of Football said we had built a, “team of lads … who all really resonate with this football club”, and that the plan for next season is to, “keep this group together as best we can.” He admits that budgetary constraints are going to make life in League One difficult, but that, “we’re going to have to get on with it”, stay in the division, and build on that for years to come. Cope also discusses the contributions of our departing players, especially Ryan McLean; the difficulties of progressing on the pitch whilst offloading our most saleable assets; and his personal highlights since joining the club in 2023.
Fixtures for the 2025-26 season will be announced on Thursday 26 June. Schedules will be available from noon that day. Leagues One and Two will start on the weekend of Friday 1 to Sunday 3 August.
Joe Pigott has been released by Leyton Orient. The 31-year-old forward scored two goals in 28 appearances for us in League Two last season. He has left Orient following the expiration of his contract.
James Ball has signed for Swindon Town. The midfielder, 29, has agreed a two-year deal with the Wiltshire side. Ball joined Wimbledon in 2023 and went on to make 49 appearances for the Dons, but his last start came away at Tranmere in November; after that, he made only one appearance, as a 90th minute substitute away at Walsall in March.
Aramark UK has been appointed as the club’s new catering partner. The firm will operate all food and hospitality at Plough Lane, and will manage the independent traders in the Fan Zone. Aramark replace Elior, who had run our hospitality and catering operations since the stadium opened in 2021.
Mick Dore has published his review of the season. The ‘Scores on the Dores’ blog is available at 14thefrog.blogspot.com. Tim Hanson, of the ‘Plough Lane by Numbers’ blog, published his season review last week, and the latest edition of the Same Old Wombles podcast was released on Monday.
The latest edition of the 9yrspodcast was released on Sunday. Nick and Stu reviewed the day at Wembley, discussed the retained and released players list, and chose their highlights of the season. The podcast is available on multiple channels via this link.
2 Responses
Nice quick roundup of everything that’s happened this week like the links for anything you want to deep dive on .
Great quick read
Nice one – thanks Richard!