Neil Ardley is planning a tough few weeks for his players as they close in on the end of the season.

The Dons are currently 12th in League Two, six points off the play-offs, with eight matches to go.

They picked up a big win over rivals Portsmouth on Saturday when Ben Chorley’s own goal was enough to secure all three points, but Ardley insists the hard work is far from over.

“Over the next few weeks I have got to keep pushing them hard in training and not easing off,” said Ardley.

“They will get there time to recover and refresh their legs but I’m going to drive them hard for the last five weeks and last training sessions so we can finish as strong as we can.”

The Dons’ only goal of the game came via Craig Tanner’s shot, which Chorley deflected into his own net.

“I’m really delighted for Craig. People have talked about the fact that he hasn’t scored and he’s not a League Two player,” said Ardley.

“And he isn’t, he’s got qualities of a lot higher than League Two. I look at him against Portsmouth and say I wouldn’t want to leave him out because I thought he was phenomenal all game.”

The Dons face three relegation threatened teams and three sides fighting for promotion before the end of the season.

Ardley’s men may appear to have less to play for than some of their upcoming opponents but he is unconcerned with how their rivals will approach his side.

“All we can do is worry about our own house. I’m going to drive the boys now and training sessions are going to keep them intense and hard so we can try finish strong," Ardley added.