A bridge too far admits the boss
Neal Ardley admitted his side lacked the belief to end a hugely encouraging week by taking the scalp of League 2 leaders Gillingham today.
The boss said he learned more about Wimbledon’s squad in defeat today than in previous matches with the Dons having gone into the match against Gillingham by earning a point at Fleetwood and beating Bristol Rovers.
Speaking to Dons Player, Neal said: “I thought we were waiting for them to score in the first-half and we did not have a lot of steel about us, we did not look like getting through into half-time. We were a little bit fragile and we are still learning how to win games. They (Gillingham) know how to do that, you could see that at the end with how dogged they were and how they defended. Although we played with more energy and intensity in the second-half, we did not have enough craft in the final third. It was a battling performance from us, but we have to get this group believing that if they take in information, then they can be a very good team. It is a work in progress, but it has been a tough week and we have done okay. We have to take the positives from the last week. “
Neal added that there is plenty to work upon during a full week of training before the Dons travel to York City in the first round of the FA Cup next Saturday.
“We have a tough schedule coming up and we need to look at the squad and see what we have to do in the coming weeks,” he added. “Winning is a habit and we need more players in and around the team who know how to win games and we have to teach them how to win games. We have to strive to do better and we will do better. We have to keep working hard on the training pitch and take that into games. We had a lot of momentum going into this game after Bristol Rovers, but this was always going to be tougher and you could tell why Gillingham are in the position they are in.
Visit Dons Player to view the full video interview with Neal Ardley.