AFC Wimbledon president Dickie Guy has paid tribute to former manager Allen Batsford after he collapsed and died on Monday.

Batsford managed the Dons between 1974 and 1977, leading them to three successive Southern League titles before getting them elected to the Football League for the first time in 1977.

He was also in charge during Wimbledon's memorable cup run in the 1974-75 season, when they went all the way from the first qualifying round to the fourth round proper, becoming the first non-League team that century to beat a First Division side away from home when they won at Turf Moor against Burnley.

Guy was Batsford's goalkeeper at Wimbledon and he revealed he had the utmost respect for him and what he achieved at the club and at Waltham & Hersham, where he won the league and cup before joining Wimbledon.

"What he did with Waltham & Hersham was good but what he did with us was incredible," he said.

"It was a feat that has never been equalled.

"As soon as he came to the club he changed everything and made it a lot more professional.

"He was very thorough and single-minded and knew what he wanted to do.

"He organised us so well and was so focussed he got that across to the players.

"I was always one that liked to mess about a little bit but I had a great deal of respect for him and he got us working hard and gave us belief in ourselves.

"We have got a great history in the cup and that's all down to Allen.

"He was a nice man, a great friend and a good manager."

Batsford collapsed from a suspected heart attack at Fulham Broadway station as he made his way home from watching Chelsea beat Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Only two days earlier he had been in the stands at Kingsmeadow as Wimbledon thrashed Hayes & Yeading 5-0 and last month was paraded before the crowd at their FA Cup game with Millwall, where he had been youth team coach.

"It is a shock really as I was only with him a couple of days ago," said Guy.

"He still came to lots of games and was at our match on Saturday, where he seemed very weak in his speech but he was just getting over the shingles.

"He seemed to be slightly picking up but whether this was a side effect of the shingles I do not know."

Batsford's death follows the loss of volunteer Geraldine Messenbird and former reserve team manager John Morris earlier this month.

A minute's silence was held for Morris, who nurtured many youngsters, including Chris Hussey, through the ranks at the club, before Wimbledon's game with Hayes, while Messenbird had been volunteering for a number of years and spent time on the Dons Trust board.