AFC Wimbldon manager Neil Ardley is happy for Lyle Taylor to maintain his fiery side despite his on pitch skirmish against Dagenham and Redbridge on Tuesday the frontman was lucky to escape without a red card.
Taylor was involved in second half spat with Dagenham & Redbridge defender Clevid Dikamona in which he appeared to throw a punch at the Frenchman.
Although the incident went unseen by the match officials, it cast a further light on Taylor’s temperament.
Speaking after The Dons’ home defeat to the Daggers, Ardley downplayed the incident.
He said: “Knowing Lyle Taylor it would be handbags. I don't know what went on, but if that’s the highlight of the game then we really are struggling!”
Taylor has already received a red card for violent this season after appearing to slap Mansfield’s Nicky Hunt in the face back in September.
In pictures: Dons lose to Dagenham
But Ardley feels that Taylor’s aggression is what makes him such a good player; indeed since joining the Dons’ from Scunthorpe, he has scored six goals in all competitions (five in the league), and is arguably his side’s biggest threat going forward.
Ardley continued: “He plays on the edge. It happens but it’s part of his make up.”
Tuesday night was a frustrating one for AFC Wimbledon, as they failed to score against the Daggers who went into the game with the forth worst defensive record in League Two.
Ardley explained why he didn't take Taylor off to avoid a red card: “I didn’t want to take Lyle off because I thought that he was the one who could produce the bit of magic that we needed, so we moved Lyle a bit wider and brought Ade Azeez on.
“As a manager you try things, but the players are the ones that deliver the moments of quality and we didn’t have that today.”
