AFC Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley was disappointed but not disheartened by their 1-0 defeat at Championship side Cardiff on Tuesday night.
And Ardley believes that, aside from Craig Noone’s second wondergoal in the space of four days, there was not much to separate the two sides.
“It was not to be, but I told the boys afterwards to stick with it and keep believing in each other,” said the Wimbledon boss.
“We played against a very good team. It was not a weakened team, we were up against a side that will grace the Championship, and we matched them.
“There was not too much we could do about their ‘worldy’ free-kick just before half time. As the game wore on we got better and better. We hit the bar, Lyle Taylor had a great chance, and we had a couple flash across the box.”
The result meant that Wimbledon had a premature end to their League Cup campaign, but the tie enabled the manager to play some of his less experienced players.
And Ardley was glowing about the performance of youngster Will Nightingale, who made his fifth professional appearance for the Dons.
He added: “I could not fault the players. I believe that we have a good squad and we need people to stick with us.
“It was brilliant for Will (Nightingale). I always had him down to play tonight against a Championship side. I think having Paul Robinson alongside him helped,” Ardley added.
“He has played on the left, which is not natural for him. Will is learning all the time and he has a bright future ahead of him.”
