The boss on preparations for York
Neal Ardley has admitted he is still looking for the best way to utilise his attacking options with last season’s top goalscorer Jack Midson yet to score since he was appointed.
The Dons fired blanks at Exeter City and though Neal has helped make Wimbledon harder to beat, he accepts his side has to do more as an attacking force with York City up again on Saturday.
Speaking to WDON commentator Rob Cornell on Dons Player, Neal said: “Jack has got good energy about him, but we need to get more from him. He is not told in any particular way to play on the wing and we have tried to play with a three up front in certain games with all of them having license to join in.
“To be fair, in previous games before Saturday Jack has probably had our best chances to score goals so it is not like they have not been falling for him. But I am sure it will be a matter of time before he starts scoring goals.”
The Dons had no fresh injury concerns at training today and Neal said he will assess the fitness of Charlie Strutton before selecting his squad for York City.
After making five changes for Tuesday night’s defeat at Exeter City, the Dons boss has to decide whether to rotate his squad once again at Bootham Crescent with Monday night’s FA Cup replay against the same opponents in mind.
“It is a difficult one as I tried to keep some freshness about the team going into Tuesday,” Neal added. “Byron Harrison was rested for the York City cup game and Curtis had bruised ribs so we gave him a few extra days. We were hoping to keep the team fresh, but you have to say it backfired. As a manager, you do things for a reason that you believe in at the time. We let ourselves down on Tuesday and we have to start being more consistent.”
The full video interview with Neal can be viewed on Dons Player, along with new signing Jonathan Meades on joining the Dons.