Good Friday will see Gareth Ainsworth’s boyhood club in Blackburn Rovers visit Adams Park for the first time.
In the reverse fixture back in September, which was Wycombe’s first-ever away match as a Championship side, Wanderers were given a cruel lesson of second-tier life, as they were smashed at Ewood Park by Rovers 5-0, with former Newcastle man Adam Armstrong bagging a hat-trick, against the 10-man Chairboys.
However, six-and-a-half months later, Wycombe have improved.
READ MORE: Ewood Park hammering: Blackburn Rovers 5-0 Wycombe Wanderers
They maybe bottom of the table 11 points from safety, but positive performances have been produced by Wanderers – they just haven’t had the results to back-up their displays.
So, will this weekend be the start of the Great Escape? Or will Blackburn leave Bucks with three points in the bag?
I spoke to the Lancashire Telegraph’s Rich Sharpe about Friday’s match.
1. How impressed have you been with Blackburn’s season?
RS: “I think the majority of supporters would say Rovers have been underwhelming, inconsistent and underachieved over the course of the 38 games so far.
“There have been the big early season wins, but a lack of consistency to the results, owing in part to the number of absences they’ve had.
“A failure to take enough points from tight games has been another downfall, while a winless February, with six defeats in seven, all but ended their play-off hopes.
“It has taken a similar pattern to other seasons which I think has contributed to the feeling that there hasn’t been the progress expected from the group of players that were assembled.”
READ MORE: Gareth Ainsworth upbeat despite Blackburn Rovers loss
2. Wycombe have improved a lot since the 5-0 loss back in September. How do you see the match going?
RS: “If Rovers are slow out of the blocks, and not ready for the challenges that Wycombe pose, they could well come unstuck.
“I think much of it will down to their attitude and how they approach the game as Preston, who were in a similarly tough spot when visiting Wycombe, found out.
“Rovers haven’t been used to winning games, and the first goal is always crucial in their matches.
"They have the quality to come out on top, it’s just whether they can put it all together.”
3. Gareth Ainsworth is of course a Blackburn fan, and he was very complimentary of Tony Mowbray before the September fixture. Can you see him managing the club one day?
RS: “If ever there is a change of manager, I think his name would be high in the betting, and also among those on the lips of supporters.
“I think some managers just seem to suit one club, and I think that’s very much the case with Ainsworth and Wycombe.
READ MORE: Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth on his 'love' for Blackburn
"It will be interesting to see if a club comes in for him, and what his response would be.
Rovers are his boyhood club
On Saturday Gareth Ainsworth will return to his hometown to lead out Wycombe Wanderers against his boyhood heroes Blackburn Rovers. A former youth player at Ewood Park, he was in tears on his 18th birthday when Don McKay said he would not be offered a pro-contract with Rovers 💙 https://t.co/VTYgEWsBhD pic.twitter.com/BFKLByg1AG
— Chairboys on the Net - Paul Lewis (@GasmanCOTN) September 17, 2020
“I don’t think there’s any question he’d jump at the chance of managing Rovers, but I’m not sure in their current structure, he’d be one the owners would go for.”
4. What should Wycombe be wary of when Rovers come to Adams Park this Friday?
RS: “I would expect Rovers to have a lot of the ball, dominate possession, and they have the attacking options to hurt any team in the division.
“Adam Armstrong will be coming back into the side after two weeks of rest after a hamstring injury has seen him miss four of the last five matches, and he will be hunting more goals having scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture.
“Any space in behind he can exploit, particularly with the quality of players such as Harvey Elliott in finding him.”
5. How can Wycombe exploit Rovers?
RS: “I think Wycombe were quite naïve in their approach at Ewood, though it was just their second fixture at this level, and their results, apart from a similar five-goal beating at Brentford in January, show they’ve largely remained competitive.
"I think if Wycombe can hold a good shape behind the ball then Rovers have found it hard to break through teams who sit deep, in a low block, and they will obviously be tested by set plays.
“Rovers have defended better in recent games, largely because of the possession they’ve enjoyed, but haven’t always fared well against a physical frontman, and they don’t come much more physical than Uche Ikpeazu and Adebayo Akinfenwa.”
The match at Adams Park will kick-off at 3pm.
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