Wycombe Wanderers’ 2-0 victory over Oxford United on Tuesday night was a momentous occasion for numerous reasons.
The win over the Chairboys’ Thames Valley rivals made it five unbeaten against the Yellows, they have kept four clean sheets over the U’s in the last four games, and Wycombe are now two points off the play-off places.
But one moment surpassed all of the achievements above, as the derby win saw the return of striker Tjay De Barr following his collapse at Plymouth Argyle on December 29.
So good to see you back out there, @de_tjay!#Chairboys pic.twitter.com/gAVa1WHIMr
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) January 25, 2023
READ MORE: 'I am much better' - Wycombe's Tjay De Barr thanks fans after collapsing at Plymouth
His cameo appearance for the final few moments on January 24 was the perfect way to end what was the perfect night for Wycombe, as the Gibraltarian international has fully recovered from his medical episode from nearly one month ago.
Speaking on his return to the squad, manager Gareth Ainsworth said: “It’s a great moment for Tjay.
“You look at what happened in America with the lad in the NFL (Damar Hamlin) and Tjay had a serious whack on his chest and everyone was worried.
"Moments like that make you realise what football is about.
“It’s a fantastic sport, a brilliant game, but it is no way near as important compared to life and death.
READ MORE: 'We are banking on keeping him' - Ainsworth hopes Mehmeti will remain at Wycombe
“So to see Tjay give his all and have a smile on his face during his spell on the pitch was great to see.”
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) January 25, 2023
During Wanderers' 1-0 defeat at Plymouth at the end of December, the striker had only been on the pitch for 24 minutes but took a heavy blow to the chest just five minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in a 50/50 challenge.
He moved gingerly for the remainder of the fixture and was seen on his haunches for several seconds whilst Wanderers were on the attack.
Following his collapse after the full-time whistle, the 22-year-old was rushed to hospital in the immediate aftermath but was discharged several hours later.
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