By Georgia Garnett
AFC Wimbledon secured promotion to League One with a 1-0 victory over Walsall in the play-off final at Wembley on Monday afternoon.
Myles Hippolyte scored the only goal of the match in first-half stoppage-time, his third of the season and his first since late October.
The victory means that the Dons will return to the third tier of English football next season after a three-year absence.
Both teams remained cagey through the opening 20 minutes, before Hippolyte shot from outside the box and missed to the right 22 minutes in.
Alistair Smith shot over the crossbar three minutes later before Marcus Browne was denied by goalkeeper Tommy Simkin after half an hour.
Smith was denied by Simkin seven minutes later as the Dons pressed for the opener.
They got it two minutes into added-time as the ball ricocheted off several players before landing in front of Hippolyte who fired into the bottom corner.
The Saddlers had a chance to rebound almost instantly with Liam Gordon, but nothing came from it, and the Dons headed into half-time with the lead.
Walsall came close to an equaliser five minutes into the second half as Jamille Matt fired through Owen Goodman’s legs while he was off the line, but Riley Harbottle miraculously cleared the ball away to deny the Saddlers.
Looking for something to get them back in the match, Walsall brought on Levi Amantchi in the 62nd minute. He had a chance two minutes later but it went straight into Goodman’s hands.
With 20 minutes to go, Josh Neufville launched a shot at goal but Simkin was able to prevent the Dons from extending their lead.
In the 85th minute, David Okagbue had a chance to equalise but his shot went high over the crossbar.
Walsall could not find anything in six minutes of stoppage-time as the Dons held on to secure promotion.
It was a fourth straight 1-0 victory for the side with the best defence in League Two this season, as Johnnie Jackson’s victor joined Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale and Bradford City in League One.
The 2025-26 League One campaign will kick off on the weekend of August 1. The Dons will find out who their first opponents will be when the fixtures are released on Thursday, June 26 at 12pm.
