AFC Wimbledon cult-hero made Birmingham City, Oxford United look foolish | OneFootball

Nigel Winterburn's talents were on full show at Wimbledon FC, and the records he set showed the mistakes that former clubs made with the fullback

Nigel Winterburn had a glittering career, which spanned five different clubs, two international appearances, and a whopping 22 years.

His experiences at his five clubs were split into two distinct categories. His spells with three of the teams, Arsenal, Wimbledon, and West Ham, were all very positive while his time at Oxford United and boyhood side Birmingham City were quite the opposite.

Considering it was the negative times before the positives, those that saw and experienced his talents, especially at Wimbledon FC, must be quite bemused at just how not one, but two sides, could not spot the obvious potential and give the youngster, at the time, a chance.

Oxford United and Birmingham City never gave Nigel Winterburn a chance

Not much is known about Winterburn's times at Birmingham City or Oxford United, simply down to the fact that he never made a first-team appearance for either side and that, unless you were in the know, youth prospects were not nearly as promoted to the wider world as they are nowadays.

He joined Blues at 17 and graduated from an apprentice contract to a professional after only a year, highlighting that the club likely thought that he had some promise.

That was likely backed up by his solitary England Youth (now Under-18s) cap, which he earned against Scotland in a tight 1-0 loss.

But somehow, that never culminated in trust ever being placed in the young left-back to make the step up and play in the first team.

He went on trial at Oxford after his Birmingham exit but again, they did not see Winterburn's potential and would not give him the chance to prove himself at senior level during his sole season there.

He would eventually move on from his torrid time with U's by joining up with Wimbledon FC, who at the time were in the same league as Oxford, initially on loan before then staying with the side from SW19 permanently, and it was there where Birmingham and Oxford were going to be left red-faced.

Wimbledon FC helped Winterburn realise his potential

Winterburn joined the Dons ahead of what was their first season back in the third tier since 1979-80 and was bought in by Dave Bassett to give the side some speed down the left, to accompany the pace up front with the likes of Glyn Hodges.

If there were any expecting him to have to take a bit-part role, and there surely were given his experiences at Birmingham and Oxford, then they proved mistaken. He slotted into the team perfectly, with the Warwickshire-born full-back taking to Wimbledon's Crazy Gang brand of football rather like a duck to water.

He helped the club win promotion to the second division for the first time in his inaugural season and was named player of the year – a feat he repeated in the next campaign as the Dons finished 12th in the second tier.

Winterburn was proving his former employers wrong, flying high and showcasing his qualities while they struggled through hardly the best of times for either.

He was a consistent force for the South West Londoners and over the next two seasons helped them first win promotion to the first division and then finish an impressive sixth.

In that final season, he would not miss a single game and, during his entire stay at the club, he would only miss seven as he racked up 165 appearances.

When you consider his two player of the year awards and his England U21 opportunities, the red faces of frustration at Birmingham and Oxford would likely have turned green with envy at overlooking such a talent.

Winterburn returned to SW19 recently as a guest for AFC Wimbledon's match against Accrington Stanley, and spoke more about that final season, his time overall at the club and how it all came to an end for him at Dons.

Speaking to DonsTV, he said "Every season I was at Wimbledon we were tipped for relegation. As usual, we proved everyone wrong and got promotion after promotion.

"In my final season, I was prepared to stay even longer, and then I got a call from the club telling me that they'd accepted an offer from Arsenal.

"That was when I realised that my journey at Wimbledon was coming to an end. It was a fabulous experience over those four years at the old ground."

That offer from Arsenal was simply too good to refuse for the Dons and off Winterburn went to go on and solidify his career as a brilliant one at the top level, with the left-back teaming up with legends of the game such as Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Steve Bould.

However, his time with the Dons will always be a memorable one for both Winterburn and supporters that were able to witness him play on the hallowed turf of the original Plough Lane, and it will also serve as a constant reminder of the player that both Birmingham and Oxford missed out on by ignoring such great potential.