AFC Wimbledon have taken a huge step towards returning to Plough Lane after their fan-created bond reached its funding target of £5million.

The Dons need to raise £11m by the end of this month so they can complete construction on the 9,000-seater Plough Lane and move in next season.

As a way of raising money, a group of fans created the Plough Lane Bond, which launched earlier this month and offered people the chance to invest over five, 10 or 20-year terms with interest rates of up to four per cent.

The creators of the bond had set themselves a target of raising £5m and the deadline for people to come onboard was meant to be midnight last Friday.

However, that deadline was extended over the weekend as £4.3m had been raised by then and there was a belief that £5m was still achievable.

The decision to extend the deadline has paid off as the Plough Lane Bond has now reached its target of £5m.

The news is a major boost to League One side Wimbledon, who now need to raise £6m to return to Plough Lane.

That will be done via a commercial lender and should be achievable, with their initial plans to borrow the full £11m proving difficult.

To solve their £11m shortfall the Dons Trust, the fan group who own Wimbledon, had been considering bringing in outside investors.

But the success of the Plough Lane Bond means Wimbledon should be able to move into their stadium as a fan-owned club.