Glyn Hodges was quick to pick the boys up after Tuesday’s late blow at St Andrew’s and he said that everyone is pulling in the right direction in pursuit of that elusive first win.
The Dons host Bristol Rovers on Saturday and our Assistant Manager updated us on the fitness of Anthony Wordsworth, as well as offering an insight into preparations for the game.
On the possibility of Wordsworth being back in contention, Glyn said: “He has worked hard today. He was one of the reasons why we probably had a harder session today. He has come through that okay. We had squad players from Tuesday night out training and a few of the young kids joined in to make the session an enjoyable and hard-working one. We will have a head-count on Friday morning and hopefully Woody is in the frame. Since the Bournemouth game in La Manga he has only been with the group a handful of times, so it’s a big step-up for him. He’s a big player and you need everyone ready to play.
“We did the review of the last game and we’ve gone through that with the players today. There was a lot of good play and in the first 15 minutes we scored, hit the post, and obviously Michael was disappointed with the chance he had from a header. On another day, we could have been 2-0 up and had more of a foothold on the game. The effort that the boys showed is exactly what we need. We just maybe need a bit more quality and to cut down on the unforced errors. The message is not to get too nervous and tense.”
Glyn said that the squad cannot afford to dwell on recent setbacks and he believes that last season’s achievement in staying up against the odds can be an inspiration for the squad.
“Straight after the whistle had blown (on Tuesday) I went onto the pitch and spoke to every single one of them,” Glyn added. “I just said ‘get your heads up, it’s a big game on Saturday, and you didn’t deserve that’. We are all hurting, including the fans, but I think the fans that went stayed until the end and clapped us off, so they could understand the effort that was put in on the evening. We’ve drawn three homes games and we could easily have had nine points. Again, we’ve got an opportunity to get our first win on the board.
“We will take the game to them and we want to make sure that we start positive and put Tuesday night out of our minds. There are a couple of things we have to iron out from our second-half performance, but I think it’s just a state of mind. It’s only us that can put it right, the players know that, and we will be doing out utmost on Saturday.
“We had the bit between our teeth last season and made sure that relegation didn’t happen. Looking forward now, I’m sure we’ve seen signs that there’s a team in there. We just need a bit of confidence and a spark to go on a run and get us out of where we are in the table. It’s down to us to keep working hard to put it right.
“Last season we were down and out, but we did what we did with this group of players. If people were not in the team, they were pulling in the right direction. It was probably the best experience I’ve had in all my years. I’ve been involved with teams where people have downed tools and they didn’t want to train or play. They wouldn’t put their all in for the team or the club. This group have shown that they care in abundance. That’s another thing that fills you full of confidence.”
Tickets are available to watch Wimbledon face Bristol Rovers on Saturday. Visit our online ticket shop to book in advance for this game.