AFC Wimbledon were today given the go ahead to start building their new £25million stadium at Plough Lane.

Wimbledon received permission from Merton Council to begin construction work as the club moved a crucial step closer to a return to its spiritual home.

The Dons want to start building the 11,000-seater ground next summer and hope they will move into their new stadium for the start of the 2019-20 season.

But Wimbledon face a race against time for the stadium to be completed by then following a number of delays and that original move-in date may be put back.

Contractors Andrew Scott Ltd will now assess when building work can start and Wimbledon should know by early next year if the stadium will be ready on time.

The new stadium will be just 250 yards down the road from the old Plough Lane ground where Wimbledon FC played.

Dons chief executive Erik Samuelson described Wednesday as a “momentous day” for the club formed in 2002.

Samuelson said: “Everyone in football knows the story of how AFC Wimbledon came into being. A group of fans started with nothing; no ground, no team, no manager, no players and no kit. Now, fifteen years later, we have taken a giant step towards going home.

“This is a momentous day for us. Everybody who has helped the club to reach this point must be very proud.”

Wimbledon will start to search for a naming-rights partner early next year and dream of opening their new stadium with a match against Barcelona.

Barcelona are a fan-owned club like Wimbledon and the Dons will explore the possibility of playing the five-time European champions in a prestigious friendly.

“We will start thinking soon about who we would like to play in our opening game and the first thing you will think of are the biggest teams in the world,” said Samuelson.

“Why not ask Barcelona?! The sky is the limit! Nothing has got in our way before. We will give everything a go!”

Wimbledon will help pay for the £25m stadium with the sale of their current Kingsmeadow ground to Chelsea.

Chelsea will use the 4,800-capacity stadium to host all their academy and ladies’ team matches and Wimbledon are thought to be getting around £2m from the Blues.

Wimbledon will also receive £14m from developers Galliard Homes, who will build 602 new homes, retail space and a squash and fitness club on the site.

The club will take out a loan to finance the rest of the project.

Asked if the stadium will be ready in time for the start of the 2019-20 season, Samuelson said: “Because it has taken a long time to get this sorted it is going to be incredibly tight.

"The next step is to go to the contractors and see what we can do to hurry it along and get it done for 2019. We will see. It is going to be tough. If we can, we will.”

Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley said: “A lot of my early football memories are connected to Plough Lane and it is exciting news to hear that the club will finally be able to start work on building a new stadium back there. To lead the team out back at our spiritual home would be a huge privilege.”

Leader of Merton Council, councillor Stephen Alambritis, added: “I look forward to seeing the stadium and housing become a reality over the coming months and cannot wait to see the first game. Welcome home AFC Wimbledon.”