AFC Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley. Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images
By Adam Harwood at The Cherry Red Records Stadium Monday, April 7, 2014 6:30 AM
Neal Ardley praised his Wimbledon side's performance against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, calling his Dons side the most likely to win the game, but bemoaned the south Londoners cutting edge up front.
'I know it's about results, especially this stage in the season, but you also fear a poor performance,' said Ardley immediately after the game. 'But I thought we were very good today and we were the team most likely to win. We just never took our chances.
'I don't think the players look too much at the league table or other results. I'm not in control of how Wycombe or Northampton play, I'm just trying to get us to a target. We will keep working hard and try to get results, before reflecting on what we might need to refresh next season.'
Wimbledon were shorn of their main first choice centre backs Alan Bennett and Andy Frampton through injury, but replacements Darren Jones and Will Antwi performed manfully to ensure that Rovers strikers Matt Harrold - who has an exceptional goalscoring record against the Dons - and ex-Don Kaid Mohamed barely got a sniff.
'We knew that Rovers would try to play through [Harrold] and that he would try and pull in between people, so we trained for this and the centre backs dealt with it well. They were excellent.'
Wimbledon had much the better of Saturday's game with Jack Midson missing a guilt-edged chance towards the end of the first half, and going close twice in the second period. Kwesi Appiah, making his home debut on loan from Crystal Palace, also shaved the top of the bar with an instinctive turn and shot.
The Dons say farewell to Charlie Wyke, whose three month loan spell from Middlesbrough has now come to an end. Wimbledon travel to Southend United next Saturday.
AFC Wimbledon: Worner, Fuller, Richards, Antwi, Jones, Francomb, Sweeney (Sainte-Luce), Pell, Morris, Midson (Wyke), Appiah (Hylton)
Attendance: 4,322 (625 Bristol Rovers supporters)
Man of the Match: George Francomb
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