Manager to assess squad options ahead of game
Neal Ardley said he will check on the fitness of several players tomorrow before selecting a squad to face Milton Keynes.
AFC Wimbledon will be aiming to get back to winning ways after Northampton ended an impressive recent run on Saturday, but the manager first has to decide on those players he believes are ready for the challenge.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, Neal Ardley said: “We have a few late decisions to make tomorrow. George Francomb’s wife is being induced and having her baby today. It’s a big thing for someone to go through so we will check on George tomorrow. Darius Charles (hamstring) is on the list so we will have to take a look at him and Tom Soares (ankle) the same. Andy Barcham was sick at half-time on Saturday and Dean Parrett also had a knock. We need to check on all of those before we can nail down what we are going to do. We have been here before and it certainly will not be the last time we are in this position before a game.”
Neal was very disappointed with his side’s display in defeat at Milton Keynes in December and he is demanding a much better performance tomorrow night.
In the four-and-a-half years I’ve been here, we’ve often been well drilled, well organised, and hard-working. There is a real honesty in this group and if you fail when showing those characteristics, then sometimes you just move on and go again. “We have got to turn up and we didn’t in the last game,” added Neal. “It’s as simple as that. We did not perform at all and I cannot put my finger on why.
“The boys have got to turn up and have a go. That is all we ever ask for and all the fans ask of them. To have a right good go at winning every game and to show why they are wearing that shirt. That’s what we have got to do tomorrow. With the qualities we’ve got, if we turn up and we are at it, we will give anyone a game.”
The full interview with Neal Ardley is now on Dons Player.