To those who do not believe in fairy-tale endings, watch a re-run of AFC Wimbledon’s dramatic back from the dead story of survival, and only the heartless among you will not change your mind.

After Saturday’s vital 2-1 win over Fleetwood Town had secured the Dons’ place in League Two for another season, manager Neal Ardley revealed survival was always written in the script.

Ardley had put a sign above the Dons’ dressing room door that read: “It’s in the script. We are staying up.”

The sign was hung up to motivate the players, and it worked on an afternoon few Dons fans will ever forget.

Ardley said: “I could not be more proud of the players and the club. This is such a unique club, it means so much to me.

“No matter what I do – hopefully I’ll go on and have a good managerial career – I doubt anything will get close to this because this is my team and these people watched me play many years ago.

Wimbledon Times: Midson v Fleetwood

Penalty king: Jack Midson celebrates his spot-kick success    SP73108

“Before the Exeter game, we saw a sports psychologist to work out a way to get the players through the final few games.

“I decided to put a sign in the dressing room that said ‘It’s in the script. We are staying up’ and it seems to have worked.

“I said to the players that if we concede a goal and we fall behind, I want every single one of them to think that this is part of the script of us staying up.

“It seemed to work because we bounced back against Exeter and Gillingham, and again against Fleetwood.

“After the Gillingham game, I told the players that if they did not believe in it now, then they never would.

“It worked and I am really proud that we came up with that because it has seen us through. “For me that is part of managerial skills and I am so glad it has all paid off.”

Wimbledon Times: Dons sign

Sign of the times: The motivational sign pinned to the dressing room wall by Dons boss Neal Ardley

Gary Alexander headed the Dons in front against Fleetwood in the second half to lift the roof off Kingsmeadow. However, the same man put through his own net moments later to level the scores and start the nailbiting once again.

However, after Curtis Osana was felled in the penalty area, Jack Midson was the coolest man on the pitch as he tucked away the vital goal.

At the final whistle, few Dons players got off the pitch without being mobbed as the emotion of staying up saw fans flood over the hoardings and on to the field of dreams.

Midson said: “I’ve heard the goal was worth about half a million to the club. “But it is not about the money, it is about staying in League Two.

“It means a lot to me personally, but if you look at what the club has achieved in the years it took them to get into the Football League, to drop back out would have been devastating for everyone.

“I have played some Wembley finals – but this is right up there.”