During the 1999–2000 English football season, Wimbledon competed in the Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).
The season began with a new manager, Norway's Egil Olsen, after the close season resignation of long-serving
Joe Kinnear, but Olsen was ousted with two weeks of the season remaining and replaced by coach Terry Burton, who was unable to save Wimbledon from relegation after 14 successive seasons of top division football.
Season summary
Wimbledon's new season began with a 3–2 win against newly promoted
Watford at
Vicarage Road; this would turn out to be the Dons' only ever away league win throughout the season. The close-season resignation of former
Joe Kinnear because of health problems (he would suffer from them again as manager of
Newcastle United) after seven years as manager led to the appointment of
former Norwegian national coachEgil Olsen as Wimbledon's new manager, giving Dons fans hope of beating the drop once again. The mid-season collapse of star striker
John Hartson's move to
Tottenham Hotspur was further good news to the cause, but a run of eight straight defeats during the final weeks of the season dragged Wimbledon into the depth of the relegation mire. Olsen was sacked after a 3–0 defeat away to
Bradford City, to be replaced by former coach and assistant manager
Terry Burton for the final two games of the season. A 2–2 draw at home to
Aston Villa gave them hope going into their last game, away to
Southampton. They were one place above the relegation zone on goal difference, but a 2–0 defeat at
the Dell – combined with Bradford's 1–0 win over
Liverpool – condemned Wimbledon to relegation and ended their 14-year stay in the top flight.[2] The transition coincided with the end of one of the most remarkable rags-to-riches stories in football,[according to whom?] which had started with Wimbledon's election to the
Football League in 1977 and seen them reach the top flight nine years later, before peaking as
1988 FA Cup Final winners. Their relegation was confirmed 12 years to the day that Wimbledon achieved their famous victory over Liverpool at
Wembley.
^Sullivan was born in
Sutton,
England, but also qualified to represent
Scotland internationally and made his international debut for
Scotland in 1997.
^Thatcher was born in
Swindon,
England, and represented England at
U-21 level, but also qualified to represent
Wales internationally through his grandmother and made his international debut for
Wales in March 2004.
^Cort was born in
Southwark,
England, but also qualified to represent
Guyana internationally and made his international debut for
Guyana in 2011.
^Earle was born in
Newcastle-under-Lyme,
England, and was called up for England without playing, but also qualified to represent
Jamaica internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Jamaica in 1997.
^Euell was born in
Lambeth,
England, and represented England at
U-21 level, but also qualified to represent
Jamaica internationally through his father and made his international debut for
Jamaica in November 2004.
^Gayle was born in
Hammersmith,
London, and represented England at
U-18 level, but also qualified to represent
Jamaica internationally through his father and made his international debut for
Jamaica in 1998.
^Jupp was born in
Haslemere,
England, but also qualified to represent
Scotland internationally and represented Scotland at
U-21 level.
^Francis was born in
Wandsworth,
England, but also qualified to represent
Jamaica internationally and made his international debut for
Jamaica in 2003.
^Ekoku was born in
Cheetham,
England, but also qualified to represent
Nigeria internationally and made his international debut for
Nigeria in 1994.
^Agyemang was born in
Waltham Forest,
England, but also qualified to represent
Ghana internationally and made his international debut for
Ghana in May 2003.