AFC Wimbledon fans will be used to seeing their manager on match days and perhaps on the occasional TV programme – but what does Neal Ardley get up to during the rest of the week?

The Dons boss gave the Surrey Comet an insider’s view on what it is like to be a father and husband, who just happens to be the boss of a League Two football club.

Saturday
“If we have a home game, I take my daughter to gymnastics first thing and then I take my dog Lola for a walk about 9am.

“By about 10.30am I am in my suit and leaving to meet the team for the pre-match meal.

“Certain players like an omelette, others are happy with scrambled eggs or what’s on the plate.

“We head to the ground for about 12.30, and at 1.30 we have a brief chat with the boys, put the set pieces up on the board and then I am surplus to requirements, other than naming the team.

“I try to let the boys have the dressing room to themselves, because they don’t need the manager walking around. About 10 minutes before kick-off I give them the last words “At half-time, the staff go into the manager’s office immediately and discuss what we’ve seen, everyone has their say.

“I pick out three or four bullet points that the team need to hear. Then the rest of the staff will go round and talk to individuals.

“After the game, win, lose or draw, I don’t go into it too much detail – that comes later in the week. I give them a quick summary, do the press and have a beer with the opposition manager.

“On Saturday night I normally chill out with the family because more often than not I am emotionally drained.”

Your Local Guardian:

Heart on his sleeve: Neal Ardley enjoys a quiet Saturday night after an emotional matchday

Sunday
“I try to have a family day, it’s the one day I get to spend with the family and do the normal things.”

Monday
“This is my day to prep the week. I watch a video of our game and make notes on our performance – what was right, what was wrong. [Neil] Cox and [Simon] Bassey do the same.

“Then I watch two or three videos of the opposition we’re going to play next. I look at their style, the key players and the weak things we need to cover.

“That sets me up to write out the next week.

“The players get an extra day off, and I have to trust that they will do the right things.

“I cannot go home and live the players’ lives for them, but you will often hear me say ‘do everything right’.

“Everything we do is to the minute to make sure they can put in a high-level performance and I say to the boys don’t do anything to jeopardise that when you are away from the ground.

“The difficult part is that they are League Two players, who do not earn a fortune, and if they want to do a bit of coaching one evening a week down where they live because that is what they have in plan for the future, it is hard to tell them that they can’t do that.

“As long as it is not on a Friday night or interfering with their performance levels, you have to give them a little bit of flexibility.”

Your Local Guardian:

Sharing a joke: Neal Ardley and Simon Bassey on the Dons touchline

Tuesday
“I have a whiteboard in my office and I tell the players everything we need to cover in the week.

“I start planning the sessions and what we’re going to do. I write a lot of it on the board and off we go.”

Wednesday
“The senior players get an extra day’s rest ahead of the weekend, so we try to have a development day with the younger players.

“Rather than always building for a game and a performance on a Saturday, we can work the individual, what their weaknesses are and where they can do better.”

Thursday and Friday
“These are big match prep days – we do a lot of 11 v 11, a lot of work on our shape – we make sure in those sessions that no stone is left unturned for the performance on Saturday.

“The players put in a huge effort and we hope they take into Saturday everything we’ve gone through over the past couple of days.

“And then we go again on Saturday morning.”