Dons boss says work ethic is the key
says there are no automatic choices in his starting 11 and places are up for grabs in the Wimbledon team.Neal Ardley
Wimbledon moved up to fourth in League 2 yesterday after losing just once in five games, but Neal says that the whole squad has to retain the same work ethic to stay with the leaders.
, Neal challenged players not currently in the team to fight for a place.Dons PlayerSpeaking to
will believe he has a chance of getting in this team,” Neal said. “I want the players to think that the manager is fair and if they are at the top of their games then they will get a chance; that goes for everybody in the squad. It is my job to keep the players on their toes, but to also offer them encouragement and tell them when they are doing well. I do not think I have a best 11 and I could not tell you what it is.Peter Sweeney“I would like to think that
“I am really happy at the moment, but I do not want to get carried away. Ultimately in this league you can lose four games on the trot. We just need to keep the same team ethic and we can have a good season.”
received the man of the match award for his dynamic forward display against Fleetwood Town and Neal was quick to pay tribute to his performance.Michael Smith
produced two of the most complete performances that I have seen for a long time.Sammy Moore“I thought that Michael produced as complete a centre-forward performance as I have seen up against a very experienced defender in Mark Roberts,” added Neal. “Michael absolutely bullied him. I don’t often single out players, but I told the players afterwards that Michael and
also produced a brilliant double save that changed the momentum of the game. We went on and won the game because of Ross. We would have been chasing the game at 1-0 down but for his saves. Ross had a few little moments in pre-season, but he deserves credit for that today because he was fantastic.”Ross Worner"