Manager salutes players at end of loan deals

Neal Ardley has paid tribute to the contributions of Kelle Roos, Karleigh Osborne and Rhys Murphy after their loan spells with AFC Wimbledon came to an end.

Roos, Osborne and Murphy have now all returned to their parent clubs at Derby County, Bristol City and Oldham respectively after contributing in different ways to our promotion success.

Dutch goalkeeper Roos (pictured above) made 20 appearances for the Dons, and his eight clean sheets included defying Plymouth at Wembley on Monday.

Neal Ardley said: “It was no coincidence that we got 45 points in the second half of the season after Kelle came in. He kept loads of clean sheets and he was a massive addition, along with Darius Charles. I have seen him grow from a young Under-21 goalkeeper to a man, who comes for crosses and claims things. He has also been a bubbly personality around the place.”

Karleigh Osborne made 25 appearances for AFC Wimbledon, before his season was ended after he damaged his medial ligaments in his knee against Yeovil in January.

Neal added that Karleigh was a popular character within the Wimbledon squad during his season-long loan spell.

“He was great to have around the place because the boys absolutely love him,” Neal said. “He is very close to Darius Charles and Barry Fuller and all the lads get on well with Karleigh. It was a shame for him and for us when he got injured in January because he had just hit a great run of form.”

Rhys Murphy made seven appearances for the Dons, including a vital goal in the win against York City, and Neal thanked him for his efforts.

“We brought Rhys in at a time when we needed goals, but it never turned out as well as we all hoped,” said Neal. “With the form of Tom, Bayo and Lyle, it made it hard for Rhys to regain his spot in the team. He was disappointed not to get more playing time, but around the place he was brilliant. Everyone pulled in the same direction, whether they were playing or not, and that contributed to our success. That’s not always the case and it’s rare in football these days.”

AFC Wimbledon thanks all three for their contributions to the club and we wish them every success in their future careers.