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With all the focus on tomorrow's decisive Champions League tie against FC Basel, it would be easy to overlook today's drawing for the third round of the FA Cup, where Liverpool were paired up with AFC Wimbledon. Though there's some convoluted history to be picked apart, on paper it seems a forgiving draw for Liverpool.
Many Liverpool fans will recall the name Wimbledon from their 1988 FA Cup final defeat. That Wimbledon, Wimbledon FC, due to complications with their attempts to transition to an all seater stadium, ended up relocating to Milton Keynes after spending 12 years in a ground-share with Crystal Palace. They officially became MK Dons in 2004.
None of which was a process that filled Wimbledon's fans with great joy. When the proposed move was announced in 2002, they banded together to form AFC Wimbledon. They've spent the years since working their way up through the leagues, from county leagues to the Isthmian First Division to the Conference Premier.
All told, they've been promoted five times since their foundation, and have been in League Two since 2011. They will host Liverpool on the weekend of January 3rd to 6th, welcoming the Reds to Kingsmeadow, a stadium with a capacity of 2,265, seated, which they share with Isthmian League's Kingstonian.
