AFC Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley has urged his players to show their pride in playing for the club as they prepare for a historic first home clash with foes MK Dons at Kingsmeadow tonight.
There has between much talk about the Buckinghamshire side’s first trip to London, with steps taken to avoid crowd trouble, however Ardley is solely focused on what will happen on the pitch.
When the sides met at Stadium:mk in December, the Wombles lost 1-0 and Ardley is keen to avoid a second defeat.
“We have got to turn up and we didn’t in the last game,” Ardley told the AFC Wimbledon website. “It’s as simple as that. We did not perform at all and I cannot put my finger on why. In the four-and-a-half years I’ve been here, we’ve often been well drilled, well organised, and hard-working.
“There is a real honesty in this group and if you fail when showing those characteristics, then sometimes you just move on and go again.
“The boys have got to turn up and have a go. That is all we ever ask for and all the fans ask of them. To have a right good go at winning every game and to show why they are wearing that shirt.
“That’s what we have got to do. With the qualities we’ve got, if we turn up and we are at it, we will give anyone a game.”
