AFC Wimbledon return to League One after three-season absence
Dons finished fifth in the table and beat Notts County to reach today's final
Walsall missed out on automatic promotion despite initially having 12-point lead at the top of the table earlier this season
Saddlers set up place at Wembley by defeating Chesterfield during the semi-final stage
Get Involved: #bbcefl, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Darren Wrack
Former Walsall midfielder on BBC Radio WM
What I would say on about this wet surface is you should get your shots off.
The ball is going to bounce differently in front of the keeper. Walsall should try and take advantage of the conditions to get back into the game.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
And now AFC Wimbledon's Riley Harbottle is down getting treatment after taking a blow to the head.
The rain is all of a sudden absolutely pouring down at Wembley.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Walsall full back Nathan Asiimwe goes into an aerial challenge with Wimbledon's Marcus Browne and catches one to the face but he looks to be okay to continue.
Is this second half just starting to come alive? Jamille Matt's effort, which was cleared off the line for the Saddlers, was their first shot of the game.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Jamal Fyfield
Braintree Town defender on BBC Radio London
That was a beautiful clearance by Riley Harbottle, otherwise it was destined for the back of the net.
Walsall fans are trying to suck the ball into the goal, and Jamille Matt just wasn't able to poke it in.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Kate Holloway
BBC Sport at Wembley Stadium
This is so much better from Walsall and if that had gone in, that Saddlers end would have been electric.
Matt's footwork was spot on. It felt like it was happening in slow motion as it dallied towards that line. The clearance from Riley Harbottle was just in time. Just.
It might not have resulted in a goal in the end but that was the first real jaw dropping moment.
Good signs of what's to come in this half? Let's hope.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Darren Wrack
Former Walsall midfielder on BBC Radio WM
I thought that was in.
The ball just seemed to slow down as it got closer to goal, the backspin just wouldn't take the ball over the line.
It's much more encouraging from Walsall.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Walsall almost draw level within five minutes of the restart!
Jamille Matt gets on the end of a cross from the right and sends it through goalkeeper Owen Goodman's legs with a deft touch at the near post but Riley Harbottle somehow scampers back to clear off the line for AFC Wimbledon!
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Walsall fans won't need reminding that they were 12 points clear at the top of the table in mid-January and 15 clear of fourth place.
Just three wins in their final 21 games meant they had to settle for a spot in the play-offs.
Not a bad second prize if it results in a day at Wembley but it will undoubtedly make missing out all the more painful if they're on the wrong end of it this afternoon.
A huge second half for the Saddlers.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Darren Wrack
Former Walsall midfielder on BBC Radio WM
Walsall will need to start creating opportunities and give those fans hope that they can get back in this game. They need to start building pressure in the oppositions half.
There's some encouragement already for Walsall down the left-hand side in the beginning of the second half. They'll need to really take advantage of any opportunities they get.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Jamal Fyfield
Braintree Town defender on BBC Radio London
AFC Wimbledon have come into this game as underdogs, especially with the number of points Walsall were ahead of them by earlier in the season.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
We're under way for the second half at Wembley.
Can Walsall, League Two's best attack, break down AFC Wimbledon, League Two's best defence?
The Saddlers need to if they're to avoid a bitterly disappointing end to the season.
HT: AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Walsall's second appearance at Wembley in their 137-year history and it's not going well so far.
The Saddlers lost 2-0 to Bristol City in the EFL Trophy final in 2015 and they're yet to have a shot so far this afternoon.
They haven't scored at the national stadium before but they're going to need to now to keep their promotion hopes alive.
#bbcefl, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Image source, PA MediaTom: After a poor first half with chances few and far between, it’s going to be a big struggle for Walsall to turn this tie around. Lack of creativity in that first half was shocking
Tocowa: Wimbledon and Walsall trying their best to recreate the Europa League final. Fair play to them.
Anon: Steve (see post from 15:38 BST) is being a bit harsh, I have also watched a lot of league one football and on the basis of the first 30 minutes, both teams would fit right in!
Keep those thoughts coming. Can Walsall mount a comeback when the second half gets under way?
HT: AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Kate Holloway
BBC Sport at Wembley Stadium
That was Wimbledon's half and they deserved a goal to cement it.
It wasn't brimming with tantalising football but the Dons have been the only ones to bring anything to the table in terms of attack.
While Walsall have turned up empty handed. As it stands, throwing away promotion yet again.
You've got to think the Saddlers end have become used to the disappointment after what happened during the latter half of the season but that would have been a tough first 45 minutes to watch.
Can their side make the second-half theirs by bringing some spirit into their performance or will their disenchanting conclusion to a dazzling year continue to the bitter end?
HT: AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Jamal Fyfield
Braintree Town defender on BBC Radio London
There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the AFC Wimbledon faithful celebrating like that.
If they can hang on in there the party will go long into the night.
HT: AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Chris Peddy
BBC Sport at Wembley
AFC Wimbledon lead and it's through a rare moment of quality.
Marcus Browne's chest down and fierce volley struck a Walsall defender but came straight to Myles Hippolyte, whose first-time shot gets past Saddlers keeper Tommy Simkin and into the bottom corner.
The Dons had been growing into this game and that is a huge moment in added time that will change those half-time team talks.
We thought this would be close, now Walsall have to break down the league's best defence to get back into this game.
HT: AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Darren Wrack
Former Walsall midfielder on BBC Radio WM
Image source, PA MediaWhat a horrible time to concede, right on half-time.
They have to show character now, there's 45 minutes to turn this around. They need to gather their thoughts in the break and think about how they can get back into the game.
They have to be adventurous, there's certain things that aren't working. I think Walsall have been too predictable to a certain extent.
I'm hoping there's a plan B where they make changes and change shape, I'm sure Mat Sadler will be looking at that.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Image source, Getty ImagesWe were heading for a stalemate at Wembley in the first 45 minutes of this League Two play-off final until Myles Hippolyte's goal on the stroke of half-time for AFC Wimbledon.
The Dons have certainly been the better of the two sides in a fairly cagey encounter so far.
Walsall have been sat in their own half for much of it, are yet to have a shot and now find themselves a goal down to boot.
Big improvement needed in the second half for Mat Sadler's men.
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Walsall
Jamal Fyfield
Braintree Town defender on BBC Radio London
From Kingsmeadow, to Plough Lane, to Wembley stadium!
Myles Hippolyte has maybe written his name into AFC Wimbledon folklore!
What a strike, what a goal, and what perfect timing to score.
Myles Hippolyte
Image source, Rex FeaturesA big breakthrough for AFC Wimbledon and one this game very much needed!
It ricochets around the Walsall penalty area and eventually breaks to Myles Hippolyte on the edge of the box.
He fires a half-volley into the deck and it creeps into the far corner. A great finish by Hippolyte and it's advantage Wimbledon in this play-off final!
Myles Hippolyte scored the winner as AFC Wimbledon beat Walsall at Wembley
AFC Wimbledon beat Walsall at Wembley to win promotion to League One after three years in the fourth tier.
Myles Hippolyte scored in first-half added time with a crisp low finish to seal a 1-0 win for the Wombles.
Saddlers captain Jamille Matt had an effort cleared off the line as the side who were 12 points clear at the top of League Two in January chased the game.
The result sees Johnnie Jackson's team promoted to the third tier alongside Bradford City, Port Vale and champions Doncaster Rovers.
The Saddlers will now prepare for a seventh-straight campaign in the fourth tier, while AFC Wimbledon return to League One for the first time since relegation in 2022.
AFC Wimbledon finished fifth in League Two this season
AFC Wimbledon went into the final having twice shut out Notts County in the semi-finals and holding the best defensive record in the league having conceded 35 goals.
So when Hippolyte struck at the end of the first half, it was always going to take a mammoth effort for the Saddlers to find a way back.
In a rare moment of quality up to that point, Marcus Browne chested the ball down following a clearance from a corner and smashed a volley goalward.
The ball was blocked and came to Hippolyte, who struck it first time along the ground and into the bottom corner past Tommy Simkin.
Browne had earlier tested the Walsall keeper from distance, drawing a diving stop low to his left.
Wimbledon's heart-in-mouth moment came soon after the break as Walsall went in search of the equaliser, with Matt beating Owen Goodman to the ball and nutmegging the Dons keeper at his near post.
The Saddlers supporters willed the ball in as it trickled towards the line but defender Riley Harbottle got back to the line just in time to clear.
Simkin made an excellent late stop, saving Josh Neufville's near post shot with a strong left palm to keep Walsall in it.
But League Two's top attack, albeit with a lot of their goals scored during their incredible start to the season, ultimately could not penetrate the division's best defence.
Myles Hippolyte gave AFC Wimbledon the lead in first-half added time
Walsall must now regroup after a 2025 to forget.
A record-extending ninth league win in a row when they beat MK Dons 4-2 on 18 January took them 12 points clear at the top of the table.
Mat Sadler's side also had a 15-point cushion to fourth-placed Wimbledon and automatic promotion seemed almost inevitable with less than half the campaign left.
However, a run of 13 matches and two months without a victory between February and late April saw that lead disappear.
Their misery was compounded on the last day of the season when Bradford City scored in the 96th minute to climb above the Saddlers and finish third.
A final day win at Crewe and two victories over Chesterfield in the play-off semi-finals sent them to Wembley with a return to some form.
But they fell short in the capital, becoming the first team since Opta began recording data in 2012 to fail to record a single shot in the opening half of an EFL play-off final.
They managed five efforts in all with just two on target and only looked like breaking through the Dons' defence with Matt's chance early in the second half.
Johnnie Jackson's side have now emulated the 2015-16 League Two play-off winning team
Despite a strong start to the campaign, AFC Wimbledon were rocked when flooding ruined their pitch and left the turf at the Cherry Red Records Stadium looking more like a golf course.
Football fans from around the UK donated to help pay for the repairs and the Wombles kept pace in the automatic promotion race with their games in hand.
A shaky end to the season saw the Londoners drop out of contention for the top three as the goals dried up, with top-scorer Matty Stevens scoring just once in the final 19 matches.
But three consecutive 1-0 play-off wins has sent them back up to League One.
Jackson and his team have now emulated the Wimbledon side of 2015-16, who beat Plymouth Argyle 2-0 at Wembley, when Barry Fuller lifted the trophy as captain.
Manager: Johnnie Jackson
Formation: 3 - 5 - 2
Manager: Mat Sadler
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Johnnie Jackson
Formation: 3 - 5 - 2
Manager: Mat Sadler
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
League Two
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
After beating Notts County 1-0 in the second leg of their play-off semi final tie, AFC Wimbledon remain unbeaten across their five EFL play-off games (W4 D1). That includes a 2-0 victory against Plymouth Argyle in their only prior final appearance in May 2016 when they were last promoted from League Two.
This will be the third time that Walsall have played in an EFL play-off final, winning each of their prior clashes against Bristol City in a replay in May 1988 (4-0) and against Reading in May 2001 (3-2).
This will be just the second time in the history of the EFL play-offs that a side from London has faced a side from the West Midlands in the final. The prior occasion saw Fulham beat Aston Villa 1-0 during the 2017-18 Championship play-off final.
Across all competitions in their club history, AFC Wimbledon will be playing at Wembley for just the third time. Their first visit saw them defeat Plymouth Argyle 2-0 in the 2015-16 League Two play-off final before they were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur during an FA Cup Third Round fixture in January 2018.
Having lost three consecutive league games against AFC Wimbledon between Match 2023 and April 2024 whilst conceding 10 goals in the process, Walsall were unbeaten across their two meetings with the Dons this season (W1 D1). Â
Since the start of 2019, Walsall have won just two of their league games in London (D4 L6), netting multiple goals in just one of those matches, although it was their last; a 2-2 draw at Bromley in March.
Only four sides across the Football League this season (Inc Playoffs) have kept more clean sheets than AFC Wimbledon (23). That tally is already seven more than they’ve ever managed in another EFL campaign, whilst the last side to keep clean sheets in their three League Two play-off matches in the same season were Northampton Town in 2019-20.
In League Two this season (inc. play-offs), Walsall have scored more goals (79) and generated a higher xG (77.1) than any other team. In fact, across the entire EFL this campaign, only Leeds United (95) and Birmingham City (84) have struck more goals than the Saddlers.
This season in League Two, AFC Wimbledon’s Matty Stevens has notched 20 goal contributions (17 goals, 3 assists). Only three player’s have ever managed more for the Club in an EFL campaign; Lyle Taylor in 2015-16 (28), Joe Pigott in 2020-21 (25) and Jack Midson in 2011-12 (22).
Across the EFL this season, Walsall’s Ryan Stirk ranks joint-fourth amongst all players for times winning possession (256). On six separate occasions this season he’s recovered possession 10+ times in a match for the Saddlers, with only Hull City’s Steven Alzate and Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney doing so in more matches across the entire EFL (both 7).
Walsall’s Taylor Allen has scored six of his 10 league goals this season from outside the box, only Notts County’s David McGoldrick (7) has netted more goals from distance in the top four tiers of English Football in 2024-25.
