Reaction from assistant manager after defeat against Rovers
Neil Cox expressed his disappointment with the manner of today’s defeat against Bristol Rovers after a first minute goal ultimately cost Wimbledon.
The Dons were unable to recover from conceding a goal after just 11 seconds against Rovers, despite dominating for long spells afterwards.
Speaking during a post-match interview for Dons Player, Neil said: “We had told the players how they were going to play and the danger spots that could make us vulnerable. Inside the first minute, we conceded from a poor defensive error. After a disappointing performance at Port Vale, we had worked hard all week on how we were going to play, but inside the first minute it had gone out of the window. It took us 10-15 minutes to get into the game, but then I thought for the rest of the first-half we were the better side. We created half chances and there were a lot of scrambles in the box. In the second-half I thought there was only one team going to score.
“We had worked hard all week on getting players into the box, but it did not really fall for us today. We had a go, but we were missing a few of the senior boys and you could tell today. We lacked a little bit of class in wide areas. I thought Alfie Egan came in and did really well again. The young boy has come through the ranks and he will keep learning. He will get better and stronger.”
Neil believes that it has been a good first season in League One for AFC Wimbledon and there is a bright future ahead, but he felt that certain players did not produce the level expected of them today.
“One or two of them we were disappointed with,” added Neil. “The players run their dressing room and they have got to take responsibility. They have got to encourage each other to do better and we did not see enough of that today. Take nothing away from them because they came here and defended really well, but we are disappointed. I thought we were the better side on the day and we looked like we could create something.
“I think we’ve had a really good season, but we want to finish as high as we can. We wanted to play one or two young boys, but it’s difficult at the moment, especially with the pitch being a bit bobbly. We will keep going with four games to go and see how many points that we get.
“Since we’ve been at this club, it has pushed forward. Mark Robinson and Alan Reeves have been doing fantastic jobs with the Under-18s and the Under-21s. In the last four or five years, the club has progressed, but it’s not just been since we’ve been here, and it will continue to go forward.”
The full interview with Neil Cox is available to Dons Player subscribers via the link above.