#5 Wimbledon
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Even though the previously listed clubs are long-forgotten by the Premier League, at least they still exist. The same can’t be said for Wimbledon, who were relegated in 1999/00 after a pretty amazing 14 years in the top flight, during which time they became one of the founding clubs of the Premier League.
Always one of the top flight’s smallest clubs – they didn’t even have their own ground during their Premier League run, instead sharing Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace – even when they were relegated nobody could’ve predicted what would happen in the Crazy Gang’s future.
In August 2001 – just over a year after their relegation – the club announced their intention to up sticks and move from south London to Milton Keynes, about 56 miles away to the north-west. The Crazy Gang’s fans were naturally horrified, but with the club in financial difficulty the move went through and in 2004, businessman Pete Winkelman put together a consortium to buy the club.
Soon after, Wimbledon was essentially no more. The side were renamed as Milton Keynes Dons, and they now consider themselves having been founded in 2004 – meaning the old Wimbledon basically no longer exists. Since then, they’ve languished in England’s lower divisions – a Championship appearance in 2015/16 being their highest point. And even if they ever did gain promotion to the Premier League, they would probably be considered first-timers, just like Huddersfield. It’s a sad situation even a decade or so on.
