Wycombe boss Ainsworth thankful squad rotation paid off

Gareth Ainsworth thanked his Wycombe players for ensuring he was not left with egg on his face after shuffling his pack for a super start to 2023.

The Wanderers chief made eight changes for the second successive match and was rewarded with a resounding 3-0 success at fellow League One play-off hopefuls Peterborough.

Lewis Wing spearheaded the visitors’ charge with a spectacular double which included a classy free-kick opener in the 15th minute as they jumped back into the top six.

Defender Ryan Tafazolli doubled the Wycombe advantage midway through the second half – moments after he could have conceded a penalty at the other end.

It was then left to Wing to curl in a clincher while Posh’s misery was summed up when a late Ricky-Jade Jones effort was deemed not to have crossed the line by referee Samuel Barrott.

Ainsworth said: “I got questioned for making eight changes away at Plymouth in midweek, but I did it with this game in my mind.

“It’s a great start to 2023. The plan could have gone wrong if we had lost here after making all the changes again.

“I’d have looked a right idiot, so I have to thank the boys for delivering for me!

“We see it in training from Lewis and we’ve been saying we want him to score one of those free-kicks in a game… and he absolutely nailed it.

“His second goal was amazing as well. He is a Championship player for me, but I have to say that all of my players were better than this level today.

“Fair play to Plymouth, who are flying, but this league is unbelievable. You’ve got Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Portsmouth and Bolton who are all ex-Premier League clubs, with Wycombe trying to compete in there.”

Posh boss Grant McCann said: “It’s a really poor day. The first two goals are very avoidable and they have killed us.

“The first one is a good strike but it shouldn’t have got to that point. The second is a free header inside our six-yard box.

“We haven’t given ourselves a chance. Even when we did get up the pitch, our final ball was way off.

“We thought we had a goal at the end with the ball a yard or two over the line, but it didn’t get given.”

He continued: “We could have had a penalty, but that was another decision that didn’t go our way.

“I’m here to speak about the game, not the referee. I think you could see and hear the frustration from everyone in the stadium and that says it all.

“We’ve got a bit of a break now and it gives us a chance to re-assess and do some work. What we’re doing at the minute is not good enough.”