Wimbledon boss says new coach is a key influence
’s ability to bring young players through after being hugely impressed by the work of Wimbledon’s experienced coach.Shaun North says he has “total faith” in Neal Ardley
Since his appointment as Under-21 Development Coach two months ago, Shaun has earned the respect of Wimbledon’s management team for his coaching methods.
Neal Ardley said: “I listen to Shaun and learn off him – and so do all of our staff. Shaun has a wealth of experience and he is great to have around the place. We talk about coaching all the time and sessions that we would like to put on. I also know that he is really drilling his players hard so that if they do have to step-up to the first-team squad then I will be happy with them. I have total faith in Shaun.”
) recommends that they are ready.Mark Robinson was an unused substitute at York City last Saturday and Neal said he will have no hesitation in blooding young players this season if Shaun (pictured above right being welcomed to the club by Academy Manager Charlie FayersLeft-back
Shaun had previously served as assistant manager and caretaker manager at Bristol Rovers prior to joining Wimbledon and he also had spells at Torquay and Oxford after making his name as an Academy Coach at Portsmouth when they were in the Premier League.
Wimbledon’s first-team squad have this morning set off for Chesterfield ahead of tomorrow’s top-of-the-table clash at the Proact Stadium and Neal Ardley says that his side’s start to 2013/14 has surpassed expectations.
“I knew that September would be an interesting month,” Neal said. “We have built-up momentum, but so too have Chesterfield. Ultimately, we have started better than we would have hoped because we are still trying to get the squad to gel. Pre-season is hopefully now starting to come to fruition. We need to keep plugging on by putting points on the board and see where that takes us.”
.Spireites previewIf you missed Neal's update ahead of Chesterfield on the official website yesterday, please click on
Dons Player subscribers can listen to Neal’s full interview with Rob Cornell on our premium site, along with vice-captain Barry Fuller’s thoughts and an interview with Luke Moore will also feature later.