Preview for tonight's game
Neal Ardley said that midfielder Tom Beere is unlikely to be risked for tonight’s home match against Plymouth Argyle.
The 19-year-old missed Saturday’s defeat at Wycombe due to a hamstring injury and that’s likely to keep him out again.
However, Dannie Bulman (pictured) is available again after suspension and Neal Ardley said his return provides a welcome boost for the squad.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, Neal said: “Tom’s hamstring is still a bit stiff so we may err on the side of caution with him. David Fitzpatrick has an ankle injury so a couple of the young boys have knocks. Other than that we’re working really hard to keep them all fit. It’s a great lift to have Dannie back. Of course we missed a player of Dannie’s quality, but the way our team played on Saturday I don’t think one player would have made a difference. We got beaten in most areas of the pitch and I think it would have been hard for Dannie to have made a difference.”
John Sheridan’s Plymouth are one of the form teams in League 2 as they have won four successive matches and the Wimbledon manager is expecting a far different test to what his side faced on Saturday against Wycombe.
“To win any game of football you need to win your battles,” added Neal. “You need to do the ugly side of what League 2 demands. Obviously, you will need less of that when you face teams who play out from the back such as Bury. You have to stay disciplined without the ball against teams like that. Against Wycombe it was more of a case for us winning the second balls and having the bravery to play despite being pressed and the game being at such a high tempo. We did that really badly, but we have a different test on Tuesday against Plymouth and the important thing is to focus on this match.”
in League 2 after defeat at leaders Wycombe on Saturday, Neal added that he’s still searching for a solution to their inconsistent form.th With Wimbledon having slipped to 13
“We had a meeting this morning with the players and I made a few points about areas that as a manager I’ve not been happy with. It’s gone now and we have to get the players ready for the next battle. Firstly, we have to make sure that we play to our own strengths and are good are what we do. I want to try and produce a high performing team, but at the moment no matter how hard we try we cannot get that momentum going; we get a couple of wins and then have a setback.
“Teams like Wycombe and Plymouth have been putting unbeaten runs together, but we are striving to do that. We’ve worked incredibly hard on our defending, but we are still conceding silly goals. It’s important we maintain our home form because winning away is tough in this league. We have a lot of players here who have won promotions and we have to try and draw on their winning habits to challenge near the top. But it’s going to be difficult because there are some really good teams in this league. I know that John Sheridan expects them to get promoted and other clubs have the same aim.”
The full seven-minute interview with Neal Ardley featured on Dons Player yesterday.