Wycombe Wanderers continue fight for survival against Preston North End

For all of their shortcomings this season, one thing that remains true to Wycombe Wanderers is their never say die attitude; they host Preston North End this Saturday as they continue to fight for their Championship status.

Relegation seems inevitable for The Chairboys this season, it would have been an unrealistic expectancy for Wycombe to stay up in the second tier this season and being 12 points from safety with 11 games to play, it will certainly take something remarkable to keep them up.

But if any man was to lead his side on to do something so extraordinary, it would be Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth.

Their promotion from League One last season showed a tremendous amount of character and belief, the team worked so hard for each other. On multiple occasions, Ainsworth’s men fought back late on in the game to salvage unexpected points.

The belief that flowed through that team speaks volumes about the character that Ainsworth is and the respect he gets from his players.

So whilst the Championship’s bottom side look set for the drop, they certainly won’t give up and if they are to go down, they have built themselves a good foundation to have a real go next season and try to bounce straight back.

They face a tough challenge this weekend in the form of Preston; whilst their league position holds them in a mediocre 15th place, their away record is slightly more impressive having picked up 25 points from 17 matches away from Deepdale this season. This haul sees them as the sixth-best side in the Championship away from home, so they will certainly prove to be a tough test for their lowly-ranked opponents.

In comparison, Wycombe have picked up 14 points from their 17 matches at Adam’s Park, and have scored the fewest home goals of any side in the division, hitting the back of the net just 10 times on home soil.

However, the visitor’s extensive injury list could play into the hands of Ainsworth and his team. For Preston will be without Patrick Bauer, Louis Moult and Declan Rudd as they are all ruled out with their long-term injuries. Billy Bodin, Ryan Ledson and Liam Lindsay are all doubtful for the weekend’s action too, and their depleted squad could go some way to justifying their recent dwindling of form.

Wycombe will be without Alex Pattison as he has not returned from his spell on the sidelines since the turn of the year. Jordan Obita also looks unlikely to feature after missing his side’s last three matches.

The two sides met back in December, as Wycombe came away from Deepdale with a disappointing draw. Gareth McCleary cancelled out an early Tom Barkhuizen strike before Scott Kashket put the Chairboys 2-1 ahead in the 75th minute. Ainsworth’s side looked set for three points until Jason McCarthy put the ball in his own net to level the game. It was a real blow for Wycombe and they have been dealt plenty of those this season.

The stats indicate that Preston should have a relatively trouble-free Saturday afternoon, but the predicament that Wycombe find themselves in has them fighting for their life and, as a result, we may see them pick up some unexpected points towards the end of the season.

 

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