Dons boss says Exeter display was not good enough
concluded that his side’s defeat at Exeter City was “a wake-up call” after their unbeaten league run was ended at St James’ Park.Neal Ardley
, Wimbledon’s manager said that the players had been told in no uncertain terms that their performance in Devon was simply not good enough.Dons PlayerSpeaking to
“As a manager you prepare the team as best you can; you keep them fresh and we did some really good work in training,” he said. “If training was anything to go by, then you are full of confidence going into it, but the players turned up and played at their own pace. For 35-40 minutes we had no energy or tempo to our play. Exeter had more energy, they were sharper and on the front foot. I have to give Exeter credit because they were lively, but the difference between the two teams was phenomenal.”
Neal added that Wimbledon must pick themselves up for next Saturday’s match against Scunthorpe United, which is the first of two successive home matches.
“We had a lot of chances in the second-half, but that does not mask our performance,” he said. “It is about how we respond to this now. I have told them in there that you cannot turn up anywhere in this league and not do the other side of the game. During the first-half we were off the pace. As a manager I know that is not good enough and the players know that.”
Dons Player subscribers can hear Neal’s interview in full later this weekend, along with the thoughts of Peter Sweeney.