Dons do not listen to advice says Neal
FRUSTRATED AFC Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley says his players need to start listening to his halftime team talks after being downed by Portsmouth.
Ryan Taylor’s header for Pompey on 51 minutes proved to be the winner in a poor offering at Fratton Park.
And despite an addedtime onslaught from Dons’ defenders Alan Bennett and Darren Jones, Ardley was left angry at his troops’ inability to carry out simply instructions.
He said: “Quite frankly, I don’t know why I give team talks sometimes because, quite evidently, my side have come out after the break and have not taken on board what I’ve told them – it’s quite frustrating from where I’m standing.
“We had some excellent chances late on but it was too little, too late. We had an excellent share of the possession and, I think, created the better chances but we failed to make our possession count and ultimately we have been punished.
“We didn’t deserve to lose but you don’t win just by keeping the ball well.”
The match kicked off with an early Dons penalty shout after just one minute, as Sonny Bradley brought down Danny Hylton.
On the follow up Charlie Wyke narrowly missed his shot, dragging just wide of Trevor Carson’s left upright.
Taylor broke the dead- lock for Pompey on 51 minutes with a fine farpost header from Daniel Alfei’s low cross, which sailed into the bottom-left hand corner.
Bennett had an excellent chance to pull his side level, only to see his header from two yards parried well by Carson.
Dons continued to mount pressure on the hosts, and could have snatched a late point through Bennett’s spectacular overhead kick, but his shot sailed inches over Carson’s crossbar. The visitors then almost scrambled home the equaliser deep into stoppage time, as a goalmouth scramble ended with Luke Moore’s shot cleared off the line by an outstretched Chorley.
Pompey boss Richie Barker, though, praised his side’s work on the training pitch as they saw out a vital win.
He said: “We’ve been working hard all week and that has paid off.
“There were some areas that we spoke of collectively and a lot of the players had admitted that they had not realised their errors, but they put it right. We’re happy with the win. Despite a couple of errors, Therry Racon was one of our best performers.
“Monday morning will certainly be a lot more enjoyable.”