‘I think in the first-half, that was one of the best I have seen so far this season, without a shadow of a doubt.’
These were the words of Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth, after his side beat his old stomping ground in Preston North End 1-0 at Adams Park.
Ryan Tafazolli’s first-half header sealed the much-needed win for the Chairboys, as it ended a run of four games without a game and four straight losses.
They were the better side through the contest as Preston offered nothing in a terrible first-half for them, which saw Wanderers’ keeper David Stockdale be a spectator for most of the match.
The performance matched the one that was displayed when the Chairboys defeated Reading by the same scoreline three weeks ago – a game in which Tafazolli was red-carded.
But since then, four straight defeats against Norwich, Watford, Stoke and QPR have followed, with Wycombe not scoring a single goal in that time.
The performance against Preston however, was completely different, and it has given Ainsworth the belief that his side are not going down with a fight.
He said after the match: “I was impressed with the way that we pressed their defence.
Ryan Tafazolli scored Wycombe's winner in the 27th minute (PA)
“We forced Preston into long balls and every time we got the ball, we’ve got that quality with the like of Anis Mehmeti, Garath McCleary and Daryl Horgan who are in the team to cause those problems.
“We have got a pressing method for when we are out of possession and I really enjoyed seeing that today.
“I think in the first-half, that was one of the best I have seen so far this season, without a shadow of a doubt.
“And if we can build on that, then wow.
“What a great time to put a run together, and I still believe we can stay in this league.
"I will keep believing that until someone tells me, ‘Gareth, it is mathematically impossible'.”
The win was only Wycombe’s sixth in the league this season and only their fourth in 2021.
However, the victory over midtable Preston could kick-start a survival charge as Wycombe are now only nine points away from safety with 10 games to go.
Teams such as Barnsley, Blackburn, Luton, Bristol City, and Bournemouth have all got to travel to Adams Park, whilst on the road, Wycombe will have to travel to Coventry (*Birmingham), Rotherham, Swansea, Cardiff and Middlesbrough.
It's a tall order, but Ainsworth is keeping the belief that for a second season in a row, Wycombe Wanderers could do the unthinkable.
Ryan Tafazolli with Jason McCarthy after the win (PA)
He continued: “We still believe and I cannot wait to get stuck into the next game.
“After the international break, we’ve got some games where points will mean a lot to a lot of people.
“We have been under this line all season and we’ve been nowhere near this line but just you wait - we will get near this line and some special things will happen.
“Some people are scared of this line and we’ve been under it – we’re not bothered it about.
The goal was Wycombe's first in five matches (PA)
“We want to get above it as we’re climbing to fight and scrap to get above this line, and they’ll be one or two teams that will get a bit panicky and I can’t wait to get some more points on the board.”
Wycombe’s next fixture is at home to Barnsley on March 17.
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