Wally Downes hopes that Michael Folivi will keep banging on his door for a place in the starting 11.
The 21-year-old, who yesterday re-signed for Wimbledon on loan from Watford, marked his return with a goal from the penalty spot and produced an impressive cameo after emerging from the bench in the 3-2 defeat.
Speaking after last night’s game, Wally said: “He was terrific and Michael has a little edge to him. I know he felt a little perturbed at the end of last season when I couldn’t get him in the team and he used to come and tell me about it every Monday morning! I don’t mind that though and he always put the effort in during training and was available for us. Hopefully, he will have a much greater chance to play more this season.”
Our manager felt that last night’s match against Championship side Bristol City was a very useful test, especially for the young players in his squad.
“It was great,” said Wally. “You see some of the young players come on and realise how sharp, bright, aware, and physically strong you must be to progress as a footballer. If they hadn’t played against that then they got a short, sharp, shock, but if they coped with it, that’s great. If they didn’t cope with it, then they know what they have to do to progress in their careers.
“We got through it with no injuries and it was a good fitness run-out, that was the aim of the game, and to get everyone an equal amount of time on the pitch. We’ve played two games at home now and everyone has had the exact number of minutes, so the fitness is improving as a group.
“This game was a bit different to the Brentford match because of the way the two teams approached it. They had a strong side out in the first-half and they changed it a little bit. We had more energy and strength in the second-half because our players were fresh when they came on. They were trying to see the game out. That’s why there was no real credence in the results of both home games. It was just about what the players got from the games with 60 minutes and 30 minutes swapped around.”