Boss says his side must build on Exeter display
Neal Ardley will check on Gary Alexander’s fitness tomorrow before selecting his squad to face Gillingham on Saturday.
The experienced striker has been struggling to shake off an ankle injury all week and he will be assessed after Friday’s training session.
, the Wimbledon manager said: “If Gary comes through training today and tomorrow then he could be in contention. We will monitor him and see where he is, but it is quite positive on that front at the moment.”to Dons PlayerSpeaking
Neal Ardley says the Dons are fully prepared for Saturday’s challenge against a Gillingham side aiming to seal the League 2 title and he senses that his players are determined to battle for survival at Priestfield Stadium.
"We need to have a positive mentality,” Neal said. “There is not much separating a lot of teams in the league this season. Gillingham deserve to win the title because they have been the most consistent team in the league. We have to believe that if we keep our performance levels high, then we can ask questions of them and with a slice of luck or a bit of quality, anything can happen.
“We worked incredibly hard in the week before the Exeter match on getting crosses into the box and other things. We had a big threat and I can only applaud the players for working hard and applying that in a match. I have watched the Exeter game back twice to reinforce some of the positives and aspects that we have to get right and I did not realise how much we were the better team. We can take heart from that and hopefully we can keep our performance levels as high as we possibly can in the next two games and ask questions of our opponents.”
On Wimbledon’s preparations for such a big game on Saturday, Neal added: “All the players are fighting for the cause. If it was a negative place and I was shouting and bawling, then maybe a few would put their heads down and go missing, but it is not like that. When I look around at the players they are all desperate to play a part and that is all you can ask for.
“There is a natural inclination to think about what is going on elsewhere in this situation, but you have to take care of your own house and not look for favours from other teams. I don’t think we have been playing badly even though we have not picked up the points, but we know at this stage of the season that is all that counts. We have kept the players physically and mentally strong. We have looked at Gillingham - there is a game plan - and we know how we are going to play. We are as prepared as we can be and now the boys have to go out there for two games and make sure their performance levels are as high as they can be.”
Dons Player subscribers can now watch the full video interview with Neal Ardley on our premium site, along with the thoughts of top goalscorer Jack Midson on Saturday’s clash.