Ardley delight as Dons triumph

Neal Ardley hailed his AFC Wimbledon side after their 2-1 win against Rochdale at Spotland on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Sammy Moore and Andy Frampton, either side of a 25-minute stoppage brought about by a thunder storm, handed the visitors the points, while consigning Keith Hill's men to their first defeat at home this season. The break in play came in the 75th minute of the contest when lightning struck one of the floodlights and plunged the ground into darkness. Club officials eventually managed to get three of the four floodlights operating - much to Ardley's delight. "Performances end up getting the rewards and it was always going to be tough against Rochdale," said Ardley. "I thought we showed Rochdale too much respect in the first half, but we tried to be more positive after the interval. "To be one-nil down and have the trust and belief to come back against a good team is something the players should be proud of. "I was concerned about the game being abandoned because it is quite a northern-based league this year and I didn't want to come back. "I thought we had the momentum before the stoppage, but they started the better after we came back onto the pitch. "But we defended for our lives and stuck with it and we scored a scrappy goal."