Gareth Ainsworth has refuted claims made by Plymouth Argyle manager Derek Adams that one of Wycombe’s players feigned a head injury during Saturday’s win At Home Park.
The Blues held on for a 1-0 win in what was a contentious match which saw multiple flashpoints both during the game and at the full-time whistle.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Adams accused Wanderers of time wasting throughout the match, and even went as far as to suggest players were pretending to have head injuries to stop the match.
“It started very early on in the game with the injury time. One of the players went down with a head knock and then it was his leg he was getting treatment on,” Adams said.
“I can see that and everybody else in the stands can see that. That is not something that people come and pay their money for.
“English football fans do not want to see players going down with a head injury when they do not have a head injury.
"They wasted time, we had nine minutes of injury time in the first half and we had a good number in the second half."
Ainsworth was left understandably frustrated by Adams’ assertions, and responded by defending his players and highlighting that Wycombe’s small squad means injuries are inevitable.
“We have such a small squad, the smallest in the Football League. My players play week in week out and I cannot rotate,” Ainsworth said.
“This is all we have here and I am not going to comment on something that is tit-for-tat and unprovable. I know my boys and I know they won’t fake injuries.”
The controversial match concluded with both managers involved in a melee that included members of both clubs’ backroom staff and players as well.
Again Adams was quick to point the finger at Wycombe, this time claiming that Ainsworth refused to shake his hand.
“I don’t know what happened after that (the game). I believe he refused to shake my hand for some reason,” Adams said.
“You should always shake hands with your opponent, but he chose not to and I’m disappointed in him really.”
Video evidence in highlights of the match supported Adams’ argument that Ainsworth failed to shake his hand immediately after the full-time whistle.
It was the sort of incident that is likely to draw the attention of the FA’s disciplinary board, but Ainsworth refused to be drawn on what started the dispute.
“I am not going to comment on that. It is part and parcel of the game and both managers must show respect to each other,” he said.
“It is a big thing for me that you have to be respectful to each other, but like I say I am not going to comment on that.
“I can’t comment on what the FA are going to do. I didn’t see any major incidents at the end there.”
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