Manager says that new boy will be an important player
Neal Ardley believes that Sean Rigg will be a pivotal force down the left wing for AFC Wimbledon in 2014/15 after his impressive pre-season form.
The 25-year-old (pictured) scored his second goal for Wimbledon at Aldershot on Saturday and his overall displays earned praise from Neal Ardley.
Speaking to Rob Cornell during an interview for Dons Player, the Wimbledon manager said: “I think Sean has been outstanding from day one. Sean has been the best in training and in every game he’s played for us he has been one of our best players. Sean has scored two goals now and his work-rate and desire has been phenomenal. He is going to be an important player for us. Let’s hope we keep him fit and give him the service that he needs.”
Though the Dons ended pre-season with a 3-0 win at Aldershot, Neal Ardley revealed that his players were on the receiving end of a half-time dressing down.
“The first-half was not just lacking, it was abysmal,” added Neal. “The last thing I said to the players was that I would accept most things in this game, but let’s go out and play with the intensity that we will need next week. It turned out to be the polar opposite in the first-half and you would not have wanted to be around me at half-time. I told the players what I felt in no uncertain terms.
“They raised their levels in the second-half in terms of all the aspects that they were in control of; energy, effort and aggression. You could see the difference in the second-half. I said to them afterwards that we have a good quality of player, but we are nothing without team-work and work ethic. We dominated the second-half and I thought Bayo Akinfenwa was a handful all game. He was our one point of attack in the first-half and I thought he was outstanding.”
Dons Player subscribers can watch the full five-minute interview with Neal Ardley on our premium channel, along with the thoughts of Jack Smith on pre-season.