Gareth Ainsworth has revealed that the defensive changes in Wycombe’s 2-0 away victory at Accrington Stanley ‘had to be made’ in order to secure the victory.
After Josh Scowen put the Chairboys a goal up on 18 minutes, the hosts began to take control of the match and enjoyed numerous space on the left flank.
Most notably, Rosaire Longelo caused club captain Joe Jacobson several problems before Ainsworth altered his back line near the hour mark from a four to a five.
READ MORE: Gareth Ainsworth on Jordan Willis' injury in Wycombe's away win
New signings Jordan Willis and Chem Campbell were replaced by Chris Forino and Jordan Obita respectively, which allowed Jacobson to slot alongside the latter in a five-man defence with Jason McCarthy and Gack Grimmer.
The extra man at the back seemed to make things increasingly difficult for Accrington despite having various chances.
And their attempt to find an equaliser led Wanderers to go on the counter-attack in the dying embers of the fixture, which saw Garath McCleary score Wycombe’s second to seal the victory.
Ainsworth said: “The players will have Wednesday off and they will come in later on Thursday as we’re now getting to the stage where we are playing three games a week.
Getting ready for Valentine’s Day evening.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) February 14, 2023
Team news to follow shortly.#ACFC #Chairboys pic.twitter.com/nmEaaiemcG
“We have Bolton on Saturday which will be another huge game and all these fixtures in quick succession does take its toll on the players.”
READ MORE: Wycombe Wanderers make it four wins in a row as they defeat Accrington Stanley
On the win against Accrington Stanley, which was Wanderers’ fourth in a row, Ainsworth added: “I’m proud of the boys and I thought the changes had to be made at the time because of how Accrington were coming at us.
“We knew that this was going to happen, and we knew that they were going to come at us to find a goal.
"But when Garath McCleary got his strike at the end, it really did settle the nerves."
90 - GOOOALLL! GAME OVER! @gmccleary12 seals the win!
— James Richings (@James_BFP) February 14, 2023
🔴 0-2 🔵 #ASFC #Chairboys
READ MORE: Live updates at the Wham Stadium: Accrington Stanley 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Finally, on his relationship with Accrington, he concluded: “We got a result against a tough John Coleman side and I really, really hope that Accy stay up.
“People know that I am North West boy so this part of the world means a lot to me.
“I played against Accrington as a kid and even though it was important to get the win, it was at the expense of a really good football club with brilliant people.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here