Dons manager provides team update ahead of Saturday
Neal Ardley is considering changes for Saturday’s match at promotion contenders Burton Albion, despite his side’s much-improved performance against League 2 leaders Chesterfield.
The return of key players has bolstered Wimbledon’s squad in the past week with Andy Frampton and Peter Sweeney adding experience to the ranks and helping the Dons to a point against Chesterfield on Tuesday.
Speaking to Rob Cornell on Dons Player, Neal Ardley said: “It was an ideal game for Andy Frampton to come back on Tuesday and he has been fantastic for us all season. It’s important for us to get him back. We have to monitor the players. Aaron Morris was out on his feet at the end of the game on Tuesday and Peter Sweeney has now played two games in a short space of time. Is he able to do it again? We have to monitor all these things and there will be a few out of the squad. We will take a 19-man squad and assess the best way to prepare for this game.
“It’s the strongest squad we’ve had all season. We just need a bit of momentum and confidence at the moment. Confidence is not something you can switch on and off. It is something that we need to collectively get.”
Neal Ardley is full of admiration for the job that Gary Rowett has done at Burton Albion and he knows that the Dons will need to be at their best to get anything at the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday.
“Gary has helped Burton into the play-off zone despite them losing key players. There are no easy games. Burton are likely to play 4-4-2 and play with high energy in a similar way to what York City did. We just have to master dealing with that. We have to make sure that we know what they’re about, but we have to bring the fundamentals into the game, which are energy, desire and defensive shape. They have to stick to what we as coaches give them and it will come. Confidence is a big thing in football. At the moment you can see that we need a little bit more, but we will be positive with the players as staff. If the fans can be positive and help us along, then that will be great.
“There are 24 teams in this league. They are stuttering at both ends of the table with a couple of form teams in the middle. It’s so tight and we just have to make sure that we put in 10 of our best performances and pick-up as many points as we can.”
Dons Player subscribers can now watch the full video interview with Neal Ardley on our premium site.