Skip to content

Ainsworth upbeat despite defeat

Image: Gareth Ainsworth: Looking to the positives

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth was not too disheartened after seeing his side's 10-match unbeaten run ended by Exeter.

The Chairboys went in front through Peter Murphy's header after seven minutes, but Exeter hit back to win with goals from David Wheeler 20 minutes later and Scot Bennett on the hour mark. "It has been a heck of a run but it has come to an end now so people can stop asking me about how far that can go," Ainsworth said. "We have been put in a mammoth effort and the lads looked a little bit leggy. Although we had one of our poorer performances, we created some really good chances and that is the positive for me. "We have to give credit to Exeter. I thought we started the game really well in the first 20 minutes but to sustain that was going to be a big effort and there were a few tired legs out there. But no excuses, Exeter had a game on Saturday as well and credit to them, they took their chances. "They went very direct and their goals came from direct play. We have dealt well with that this season so that is the unfortunate thing. But we worked some good opportunities and that is the positive thing for me." Exeter manager Paul Tisdale hailed the performance of Wheeler, who scored the Grecians' equaliser and was a constant menace to the Wycombe defence all evening. "It was the first time that David had played in the team without pain on Saturday and he's been selected every time this season when he has been fit,'' Tisdale said. "He hasn't trained much for the last month, but that was some first goal. It isn't the sort of goal you would attribute to our team, but he did brilliantly to flick the ball on and he followed on and was rewarded with a goal. It is a lesson to any offensive player to follow the ball and continue your run." Tisdale added: "It was a really good game and we have beaten the team that were top of the league. They have worked very hard for each other. It sort of went our way today. "I thought we played really well. As always, we were a bit cagey to begin with, but we got into it and improved our performance and we got the win. "Over the last month, we have really picked up our performance and we keep the results and the performances coming in. That is what we did today, it is another three points and I am really pleased. "There were some really big performances out there and we are coming on."

Around Sky