Manager's reaction after battling draw
Neal Ardley said he was proud of his side after the Dons dug deep to earn a creditable point against Bristol Rovers today.
Despite having 10 men for 86 minutes, Wimbledon battled away to defy Rovers and the home side could even have won it near the end.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, Neal Ardley said: “We were outstanding at Luton earlier this season when we had 10 men and it’s something we’ve worked on several times. We slightly tweaked our shape and the boys know what we do. It needs energy, one-on-one defending and good bits of combinations, but there was only one team I thought was going to win that game and it was us.
“Bayo Akinfenwa was outstanding today up there on his own. Everything stuck up there, he chased things down and he filled back in when he needed to. Lyle Taylor was the same and did not stop running. Andy Barcham played tucked in and he ran himself into the ground and George Francomb filled in at right-back. They were outstanding to a man. In the second-half at Newport we were too and there have only been a couple of bad 45 minutes from us in the last few months. I hope everyone is proud of them because I certainly am.”
Neal added afterwards that he felt Paul Robinson’s sending off was harsh and the club will appeal against the decision.
“I have seen it because I always try and make myself educated before I speak to the media,” said Neal. “Paul gets there and toe pokes it back to the goalkeeper so read into that what you will. It’s disappointing and it’s a massive call four minutes into a game. It is wrong and it affects the whole game.”
The full interview with Neal Ardley is now on Dons Player and an interview with George Francomb will follow tomorrow.