Boss says that today's display was tough to take
Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley apologised to the club’s fans after today’s disappointing defeat at the hands of Chesterfield.
The Wimbledon boss said that his side’s performance was simply unacceptable for the 441 supporters who made the trip to Derbyshire.
Speaking to Dons Player, Neal Ardley said: “Firstly, I would like to apologise to the fans that travelled to watch us as the performance was nowhere near what I expected. We have a team full of players saying the right things before the game and we worked hard on a game plan, but we did not do it. I cannot accept it off the players. The last two games have been nowhere near good enough.
"The boys have been told how I feel and they have to step-up to the mark as it cannot continue. We told the players afterwards that it was not good enough and we left them in the dressing room to sort it out amongst themselves. I am hurting after that and I hope the players are too.”
Wimbledon had matched Chesterfield for the first 45 minutes and were well in the game as it was 0-0 at half-time. However, withdrawing Jack Midson for Toby Ajala was one of three substitutes that Neal Ardley admitted did not work.
“We played alright for 15 minutes in the first-half, but we were not winning enough of our individual battles and there was not enough quality,” he added. “We stayed in the game, but we had to slightly change our shape. That has cost us the game as the substitutes that we brought on did not do their jobs and they did not track back. The second goal came when we were chasing the game, but the first goal cost us the game.
“I felt that we were not getting enough from Jack Midson playing in the hole as he was too deep. We felt that their number eight was bombing on in midfield and we needed some pace down the wings because we were not getting in behind them enough. However, the substitutions cost us the game. The players have to man-up. We have characters in the squad, but we are not producing.”
Dons Player subscribers can view the full video interview with Neal Ardley tomorrow.