Appiah ever after as Ardley has words
AFC WIMBLEDON manager Neal Ardley believes an honest half-time team talk was the catalyst for his side securing their first win of the season against previously-unbeaten Doncaster Rovers.
Following an uneventful opening 45, two goals in three minutes after the break from Kwesi Appiah and Andy Barcham earned the Dons a deserved victory at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
“We didn’t have enough intensity, energy, forward runs and pace in the first half,” admitted Ardley. “If you don’t have any of them you’re fighting a losing battle, so at half-time a few words were said and some people were kicked up the backside.
“We got another 20 per cent from the players in the second half and we carried a real threat.”
Summer signing Appiah coolly opened the scoring from 12 yards after brilliantly turning defender Andy Butler on the edge of the box. It was the Ghanian striker’s first goal in English football since May 2015.
Andy Barcham doubled the advantage on the hour in the first meeting between the two clubs as his low shot from 18 yards cannoned off the post.
Ardley added: “It was a brilliant bit of skill from Kwesi for the opener. He hadn’t had much luck before then. Barchy was just outstanding all game. He deserved that goal for the problems he caused them. It’s a great individual strike.”
The bar denied Callum Kennedy from adding a third six minutes from time with a curling free-kick.
Earlier, only George Long’s fine save prevented Danny Andrew’s dipping 25-yard free-kick from putting the visitors ahead within 180 seconds of the restart.
Rovers came closest to pulling a goal back through substitute Liam Mandeville’s speculative effort from 18 yards after 66 minutes.
Doncaster boss Darren Ferguson blasted his players’ performance, saying: “It’s not often that I go to my own supporters and apologise. They’ve turned up in their numbers and I felt for them because what they’ve seen today was nowhere near the standards we pride ourselves on. If you get that performance, you’re going to lose.
“Wimbledon thoroughly deserved to win the game in the second half. I can’t really look at my team and find anybody who delivered a good performance or were anywhere near the levels that we normally get. We were way off as a team today, it’s a very disappointing day.”