Neal Ardley praised his side’s performance as two early Adebayo Akinfenwa goals set AFC Wimbledon on their way to a thrilling 3-2 League Two victory over Bury.
Akinfenwa, known as ‘The Beast,’ made it seven goals in six games with two first half strikes while his partner in crime Matt Tubbs also got himself on the score sheet, shortly after Danny Mayor’s fierce strike had reduced the deficit.
A 73rd minute penalty by Ryan Lowe had the Dons hanging on towards the end but Ardley was pleased by his side’s resilient display against a very strong opponent.
He said: “I never felt comfortable during the game and always felt they could score. But I have to give credit to my players because they stayed with it and applied themselves well to see the game out.
“We have come up against a very good side. They are top of the league, they have hardly lost a game and are a very good team when it comes to passing the ball.”
“Adebayo is actually a very good footballer and has more to his game than just strength. He is a great focal point to the attack.” – Neil Ardley
Bury showed just how good a team they were as they refused to give in. They were 2-0 down after 37 minutes but a beautiful curled finish by Mayor in the 47th minute gave them hope.
But shortly after Tubbs extended the Dons’ lead and between him and Akinfenwa they have scored 16 goals this season.
And Ardley again gave a special mention for another beautiful performance by his ‘Beast’ striker.
He added: “He is actually a very good footballer and has more to his game than just strength. He is a great focal point to the attack.
“At the beginning of the season we weren’t providing him with enough crosses but since we have modified our game, he has become unplayable.”
Meanwhile, Bury manager David Flitcroft was positive about his teams attacking intent but felt their defending let them down.
He said: “We didn’t come here to sit back, we came to attack and try and win the game.
“Going forward we’re a menace and cause can cause most teams problems, but the goals we conceded were poor.
“We have not done our job properly today but we will work on it in training ahead of our next game.”
