Neal Ardley, manager of AFC Wimbledon. Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
By Adam Harwood Monday, January 13, 2014 7:00 AM
If Saturday's abject performance is anything to go by, Neal Ardley's AFC Wimbledon side will soon be reliving the nerves of last season's relegation dogfight - a battle they only survived on the final day.
Despite a revamped squad in the summer and a much-improved defensive line on previous years, the Dons have only won one of their last nine league fixtures - the worst record in League Two - and put in an embarassing first half display against a Torquay side sitting 23rd in League Two.
It was a game that Wimbledon would surely have seen as an excellent opportunity to push on further into mid-table obscurity and Ardley himself was left at a loss as to why his side produced such a poor performance, following an excellent 3-0 victory at Wycombe Wanderers in their previous outing.
'I'm dumbfounded by that display,' Ardley said immediately after the game. 'Fifteen-20 minutes in, I'm watching players who have been excellent all season looking like they didn't have an ounce of energy or enthusiasm about them.
'It was hard to decide half time substitutions when you have 10 players who were so woefully off their game.
'We were losing battles all over the pitch, didn't make one good clearance, our passing was off and we didn't look like we were going to win any headers...it was not acceptable. I'm at a loss.'
The Dons were not helped by Harry Pell withdrawing from the squad through illness while Peter Sweeney was already out with a long-term injury. Ardley's 5-3-2 formation required two players - George Francomb and Luke Moore - to play in the centre alongside Sammy Moore and both looked out of their depth and Luke Moore was withdrawn at half time.
'We're looking for loads of players in various positions, but it is difficult. Players from loaned clubs, for example, often the clubs want their players to start each week,' added Ardley.
'It is so hard to get the momentum of unbeaten runs going in this league, but easy to go into a slump.'
Given Wimbledon's appalling record against sides towards the bottom of the division, and their much better form against teams nearer the top of the table, the trip to league leaders Scunthorpe on Saturday looks less daunting then perhaps it should. The Dons won 3-2 against the Iron on home turf earlier in the season, recovering from a two-goal deficit.
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