New AFC Wimbledon signing Tom Elliott has revealed one of the secrets of boss Neal Ardley’s success in the hotseat.

The towering striker joined the Dons last week following his release by Cambridge United and spoke at length with the club before putting pen to paper.

Ardley sold his vision for the future of the club to the former Leeds United academy product but it was moments from the manager’s past that really impressed the big man.

“One thing I remember that really stood out when talking to Neal was when he was a player he wrote down everything he didn’t like about how he was playing and he’s brought that into his managerial skills and that’s a great thing to do,” Elliott told Dons Player.

New recruits: Tom Elliott and Karleigh Osborne

“I’ve played against Bayo (Akinfenwa), (Andy) Barcham and a few others, but nobody I know that well so it’s like a whole new crowd for me and I can only remember a couple of names, but I’m sure I’ll get to know them over the next few weeks!”

“League Two is a level playing field. It’s about who works the hardest and who does the right things at the right time. That’s what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to work hard in this league and hopefully with that little bit of consistency you’ll be up there and I’m hoping AFC Wimbledon do that this season.”

Elliott was part of the Cambridge squad who captured the nation’s imagination in the FA Cup by forcing Manchester United to a replay at Old Trafford.

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