Neal's update for Dons Player
Wimbledon’s home match against Torquay United is likely to come too soon for midfielder George Francomb’s return after injury.
Francomb (pictured) has made good progress from the calf injury that he suffered against Dagenham & Redbridge by returning to light training, but Neal Ardley confirmed that he’s not quite ready to be back in the first-team.
Speaking during an in-depth update for Dons Player, Neal said: “You have to be careful with calf injuries. I came back from a calf injury too soon once and that put me out for another four weeks. If he can feel it slightly then he has to be very careful. If he’s a little bit sore after today then he will have to ease off for a few days and then see how it settles down. The sooner we can get him back the better.”
Jim Fenlon, of course, is suspended for the visit of Torquay after his late sending off at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday. However, Neal added that he had always planned to give Fenlon a rest with Callum Kennedy as a good alternative and the latter will be back in the side on Saturday.
“It was a demanding schedule that we had and especially for a player going up and down the wing so we were always planning to rotate them,” Neal said. “It’s obviously disappointing for Jim, but I’m really pleased with him at the moment and when we do get him back he will be a fresh player for us.”
Wimbledon go into Saturday’s match against Torquay on the back of just one defeat in the last three matches and Neal has been particularly pleased with the way his players have adapted to a new 3-5-2 system.
“It was obvious that we were not creating enough chances and I was persisting with things that I was hoping we would move on with,” said the Dons boss. “We’ve tinkered with that and with limited work the boys have taken to it well. In the three games against Plymouth, Dagenham and Wycombe we have had very good performances. I am a big believer that if we can keep the level of performances up and keep the statistics in our favour then we’ll have more chance of winning games.”
Dons Player subscribers can now watch an in-depth eight minute interview with Neal Ardley in which he speaks in favourable terms about the progress of young defender Will Nightingale. An interview with in-form goalkeeper Ross Worner will appear on our premium site tomorrow.