Dons boss in upbeat mood after draw
Neal Ardley said he could not fault the effort and commitment of his players after they came from behind twice to earn a thrilling draw against Exeter City.
Following one of the most entertaining halves of football seen at the Cherry Red Records Stadium this season, the Wimbledon manager was impressed with his side’s much-improved attacking display.
, Neal said: “We always knew that it would be one of those really difficult games to play because they would come to win. It was win or bust for them and fair play to Exeter as they gave it a right good go. But we showed great character to keep going and I thought we had enough chances to win two games. It was a great game for the neutral, but not for me as I will probably have a few grey hairs in the morning after that. I cannot fault the lads though as they looked like a team absolutely fighting for everything and that is all you can ask for at the moment.Dons PlayerSpeaking to
“It was always going to go down to the last game with the form of all the teams down there at the bottom. We have come from behind twice and that does not happen without character and willingness to fight. We had a chat before the game and put scenarios in the heads of our players and they really did give their all.”
Neal Ardley added that the past week had involved a real collective effort from the players in training – and he praised the club’s fans for creating a great atmosphere at the Cherry Red Records Stadium today.
“We worked incredibly hard all week on crossing and getting players into the box,” Neal added. “We had not scored in the three previous games and I did a lot of analysis into that. We worked hard and I felt that the amount of crosses that we put in and the set-pieces we got were due to what we had worked on all week. It was probably the best training week we have had. We have come a long way since I arrived in October and the fans have been phenomenal in a difficult season. That today was a big occasion as far as the fans and the players go. Apart from the fact that we did not win, I don’t think you could ask for much more from us as a fan.”
received injections on his injured ankle in the build-up to the game, but he was not considered quite fit enough to be included in the squad.Gary Alexander Ardley said that alNe
Dons Player subscribers can now watch the full video interview on our premium site.