Manager's update for Dons Player ahead of cup game
Neal Ardley today confirmed that Lyle Taylor is back in contention for a return in Sunday’s Emirates FA Cup second round tie at Curzon Ashton.
The striker was ruled out of the 2-2 draw against Fleetwood Town with a hip injury, but he has since returned to training. However, defender Will Nightingale will miss out on Sunday due to a knee injury and Darius Charles (thigh) and Andy Barcham (hamstring) are not ready to return yet.
Speaking during an interview with WDON’s Rob Cornell for Dons Player, Neal said: “We have the suspended players back (Barry Fuller and Jon Meades) and Lyle has joined in training. He trained yesterday with Stuart Douglas and today with the first-team so he is back in contention and we are happy with that.
“With Darius, it is something he is just trying to get over and ‘Barchy’ is making good progress, but with a hamstring tear you have to make sure it is right before the player can go back into training. Will’s knee flared up again on Tuesday for the Under-21s and he’s a doubt to be in the squad.
“Sean Kelly is back in contention. With a bit of luck, Jon Meades’ ankle will not flare up too much and we will have him back. It’s been a position we’ve had to do a lot of juggling around in with George Francomb and Seth Owens both playing there. Hopefully, we will have a little bit more strength there.”
in National League North.thNeal added that the coaching staff have been doing plenty of homework on Sunday’s opponents Curzon Ashton, who are 16
Managed by John Flanagan, their style of play has impressed Neal, who is concentrating a lot on getting the approach of his players spot-on for the televised tie.
“We’ve managed to get some video footage looking at how they play and we’ve checked on the players they have available,” added Neal. “We also had someone go and watch them two or three times. We have got scouting reports as well so that’s set-pieces too.
“We’ve done as much as we would do for any League One game so that’s why we know they are a really decent outfit. They have some good players. They are not in the position they want to be in the league, but I have a lot of admiration for what they are doing. They have some really good technical players and the way they get the ball down and play is really good to watch.
“Our job is to go there and put in a really professional performance with a good energy and tempo. We want to ask Curzon if they can play their A game as well as they want to. We need to take the anxiety out of the game because that can cripple teams. If we play as we normally do, fighting for each other as a group, we will give them a really good game. It’s really important we take any of the fear away from the players with the fact we cannot win in many people’s eyes. We have to perform well and make sure we are in the hat for the third round.”
Neal Ardley’s full update and an interview with Tom Elliott are now both on Dons Player.