Sky Sports exclusive: Sam Vokes on why he joined Wycombe, banishing Wembley demons, craving success and more; watch Peterborough vs Wycombe in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy final, live on Sky Sports Football from 4pm on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm
Sunday 7 April 2024 10:46, UK
It was something of a head-turner when Sam Vokes joined Wycombe in the summer of 2021.
There is no doubt it was seen as a coup for the Chairboys - who had just been relegated back to League One - to sign a former Wales international who had spent almost all of his career to that point in the Premier League and the Championship.
Vokes was 30 at the time and no doubt still capable of playing in the second tier, but after being frozen out by Michael O'Neill at Stoke, a call from Gareth Ainsworth changed the course of his future.
"I was at the training ground by myself and got a call from Gareth, who asked if I fancied it. He said I'd be his No 9," he explains in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.
"Honestly, I went home that night and said to the wife that we were going down to Wycombe! It took a couple of weeks to go through, but it was somewhere I just wanted to come and play and enjoy my football and that's proven to be the case.
"In that first season especially, I came into a group that had been successful, been to the Championship, just got relegated and were looking to get back. He was a huge driver of that. The rock-and-roll football, as it was branded, was what we did.
"I love playing for Wycombe. This is my third season now and I really want to be part of something special here."
That first season was a huge success. Vokes scored 17 goals - the second best tally of his career - as Wycombe battled back from relegation to reach the play-off final, having missed out on automatic promotion by a margin of seven points.
At Wembley, they came up against Sunderland, who had a point to prove after two play-off failures in the three seasons prior, and lost 2-0.
"We were always up against it and it was a tough afternoon for us, having conceded so early in the game," he recalls.
"You've seen with the documentary [Netflix's Sunderland 'til I Die], it was a huge moment for Sunderland. I look back on that day with frustration as I don't think we really gave a good account of ourselves.
"We were probably caught up in the moment, to be honest. We had the semi-final victory over MK Dons, which was a mad two-legged affair.
"We had two weeks to settle and then the occasion probably got to us, but that's part of it. It was a big day out at Wembley and some people's first time there as well, so it's hard to deal with. On a different day, we might have got a different result, but it is what it is."
On Sunday, Wycombe find themselves in a similar position to the one Sunderland were on that day back in May 2021.
They were promoted to the Championship after a play-off final win over Oxford at Wembley in July 2020, but that was behind closed doors - and having lost to Sunderland, they want to put things right in front of their own fans when they face Peterborough in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy final on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football.
This competition has divided - and continues to divide - many fans' opinions, particularly due to the inclusion of Premier League clubs' U21 teams since 2016.
But even having had the career he has, Vokes sees this as a significant moment for both himself and for Wycombe.
"Honestly, it would be huge," he says. "A lot of teams enter this tournament and play different teams in the early rounds and then, as soon as it gets serious, everyone starts to step up and wants to get to Wembley.
"That's what it's been like for us. It's a huge chance to get a trophy.
"When I came to Wycombe, all I wanted was success for however long I was going to be here and whatever that looked like. Losing the play-off final was gutting, but this is another chance to get that success I'm craving.
"Some of the senior lads have been to Wembley a few times now and they can bring that experience into the dressing room and help the other lads that haven't.
"It's important for myself and the others to manage the dressing room, and we can do that off the field as much as anything with conversations. Hopefully we can put to bed a few of those demons."
Standing in their way are Darren Ferguson's side, who are in pole position for a play-off spot in League One and still very much in the automatic promotion mix, with two games in hand over almost every team around them given their absence from the league this weekend.
Posh won this competition a decade ago and will certainly try to use this game as a springboard to reach their ultimate goal.
"They are going to be tough as they are having a great season," Vokes adds.
"We've had two good battles against them already. We got the win here last time, but it was a tough game and we know what they are about. We all watched their semi-final the night before our game at Bradford and they played very well.
"They were a very good team on the ball, which is something we need to be wary of. We will be, but it's all about us as well. We need to put our stamp on the game and we'll have a lot to offer on the day."
Watch Peterborough vs Wycombe in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy final live on Sky Sports Football from 4pm on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.
