Academy manager demands more for Cheltenham tie
Academy Manager Mark Robinson admitted his Under-18s will have to improve on last night’s performance against Farnborough if they are to make further progress in the FA Youth Cup.
Wimbledon sealed a 2-0 victory against Farnborough last night with a late Harlan Basker goal at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, but Mark Robinson is demanding more with Cheltenham up next in round two of the competition.
Speaking to Dons Player, Mark Robinson said: “I am not completely happy as I thought we made hard work of it,” he said. “I wanted to see the boys pass it a bit better and when they did that, we looked good in spells. However, we were not clinical enough in the final third and because of that we got a bit desperate going for the second goal. The players made decisions that they would not normally make, but there was good moments for us. If we had got that second goal earlier, the players would have relaxed a bit and it could have been a different story.
“It was the first game for nearly all of them though in the FA Youth Cup though and they were a little bit quiet. I would not say it lacked tempo, but we could have moved the ball better. We had the match recorded and will watch the video, highlighting the things we did right and what we need to do better. Cheltenham will be tough, but hopefully with tonight out of the way the players will come out and relax and show what they can do.”
The Dons were boosted by the return of dynamic midfielder Tom Beere, who made his competitive return after five weeks out through injury. Mark praised his comeback effort, but the player himself believes he can do much better.
"This is my second season at Wimbledon and I have really enjoyed my time here," Tom said. "I had a trial at Milwall, but this is my first professional club. Mark tries to develop us by using a passing game, it is a good standard and we have players who can pass the ball well. I was not at my best tonight, my touch was not great, and I should have scored near the end. Hopefully I will do better in the next round."
Dons Player subscribers can watch the full video interview with Mark and Tom on our premium site today, along with an update from Neal Ardley and the thoughts of our top goalscorer Byron Harrison, ahead of York City on Saturday.