This week former Reading FC captain Alex Pearce joined AFC Wimbledon of League Two.

Founded in 2002, their roots stem back to the original Wimbledon side of FA Cup glory in 1988- a club sharing a division with the Royals as recently as 2003.

We take a look at five players who played for both clubs in their careers.

 

 

Lawrie Sanchez

Perhaps the most obvious choice, Sanchez went to school in the town and made his debut for the club in 1978. He became a regular over the next six years, winning promotion from the Fourth Division on two separate occasions. He left in 1984 with more than 250 appearances to his name, going on to make another 270 for the Dons until 1994. His most famous moment came in 1988 when he scored the only goal of the game to win the FA Cup as "the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club." He went on to have a successful managerial career and can now still be heard regularly on BBC Radio Berkshire.

 

Gary Peters

Legendary full-back Peters played almost 300 times for Reading over two separate stints in the 1970s and 1980s in the fourth, third and second tiers. In between Royals spells he played 100 times for Wimbledon and won another two promotions, including captaining the side to Division Two in 1984.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Wally Downes

Although Downes did not 'play' for Reading, he played a massive part in the club's most joyous moment as a key coach under Steve Coppell during the glory years from 2004-2009. He played more than 200 times for Wimbledon from 1979 to 1988, a key component throughout the 'Crazy Gang' era. Not stopping there, he went on to manage phoenix club AFC Wimbledon in 2018 to complete the set.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Jobi McAnuff

An iconic figure in the EFL, McAnuff amassed more than 750 career appearances across the top four divisions of the game. An Academy graduate with the Dons, he made more than 100 appearances right up until the club folded, including scoring at the then-Madejski Stadium, as he was signed by Alan Pardew and West Ham.

Fast-forward five years and he was signed by Reading, where he spent the next five years and played more than 200 times as he captained the club into the Premier League.

He retired in 2021 and is now a pundit for Sky Sports as well as a board member with the FA.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Kwesi Appiah

31-year-old Appiah spent a half season on loan with the Royals in 2015, scoring once in six appearances. He was much more successful at Kingsmeadow, scoring 14 in two stints with the Dons in 2014 and again from 2017 and 2020.

He is now with Crawley Town in League Two.