Former Wimbledon teammates Wally Downes and Glyn Hodges hope to summon some of the old Crazy Gang spirit to unsettle West Ham in the FA CupGlyn Hodges admits he still can’t quite believe his luck. “I was just doing a bit of housework and a bit of gardening – the garden was looking magnificent,” grins the AFC Wimbledon assistant manager. “I didn’t expect it but football is weird. Sometimes an opportunity just comes out of the blue. When this one came I thought it was a no-brainer.”Nearly 40 years since he joined Wimbledon’s youth team in the season they were promoted from the old Fourth Division, Hodges had been out of work since leaving his role as Stoke’s Under-23 manager last January. Then came the call from Wally Downes. Both were founding members of Dave Bassett’s side who tore up tradition in the 1980s with their charge to the top flight before winning the FA Cup, and Downes turned to his old friend after being appointed to replace Neal Ardley in December, despite them never having worked together in their long careers as coaches. Related: John Scales: ‘I punched a hole in the wall when I had to leave Liverpool’ The 1988 final is the game when people were saying that football would get done away with if a team like that won Related: FA Cup fourth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend Continue readingreadfullarticle
