AFC Wimbledon 0 Oxford 0
Neil Ardley described AFC Wimbledon’s performance as brave as they failed to break down Oxford United, ending a run of eight straight losses against the Us.
Neal Ardley: “We were hurt after Northampton and we have bounced back since then.” http://t.co/NJ2NVOZwAk pic.twitter.com/jmomThJkck
— AFC Wimbledon (@AFCWimbledon) November 22, 2014
Matt Tubbs came closest for the Dons but was denied by a last-ditch challenge from Oxford captain Jake Wright, while the visitors mustered very few chances of note.
Ardley felt as though his side created the best of the opportunities, but was at a loss to explain why his side didn’t end up on the scoresheet.
“We came here and we were brave. We went with three centre forwards and wanted to have a go at it and cause them problems,” he said.
“If you look at our performance, you’ll see that they haven’t had an attempt or troubled James Shea and we’ve had the best two chances of the game.
“To play three forwards and draw 0-0 is strange, but the boys have put in a fantastic shift after five games in two weeks.”
“I’ve been on their backs about every little detail and it has showed. I’ll continue to do that next week to see if we can keep the results going.” – Neal Ardley
Ardley was forced to make two changes to the side that beat York City midweek with Ade Azeez and Sammy Moore called in for starting places.
Tubbs saw an early shot tipped round the post by Ryan Clarke before Adebayo Akinfenwa rose to meet a corner, but his header sailed over.
The second half was a more tepid affair and Shea remained largely untroubled in the Wimbledon goal but for a Danny Hylton effort that found the side-netting.
Up the other end, Akinfenwa saw a speculative 30-yard strike flash just wide before Jack Smith’s shot across goal was well held by Clarke.
The draw gave Wimbledon seven points out of a possible nine, and Ardley was pleased with his side’s progression in recent weeks.
He added: “We were hurt after Northampton and we have bounced back since then.
“We will give them a little break because I’ve been quite demanding of them in the last couple of weeks.
“I’ve been on their backs about every little detail and it has showed. I’ll continue to do that next week to see if we can keep the results going.”
