RELIEF FOR THE WYCOMBE WORRIERS

WYCOMBE manager Gareth Ainsworth summed up just how close Leatherhead came to an FA Cup giantkilling by celebrating a throw-in towards the end of this victory over minnows Leatherhead. Ahead 2-1 at the time and under pressure from the 10 men of the Isthmian Premier Division side, Ainsworth clenched his fist as the decision went his way. He knew his League Two side had survived a scare, with the team three divisions lower pushing them all the way to the third-round draw. A relieved Ainsworth, who had seen his side trail to Jack Midson’s penalty, said: ‘It was an emotional, highly charged place. ‘Everyone looks at you when it goes wrong. I live it all with the boys. The FA Cup means so much to me, as a kid, growing up watching it. ‘I’ve never got too far in it and I would like to now. I didn’t panic but I was worried, of course, at how the boys were mentally. There was only one team in the second half but it took a while to get there.’ Leatherhead were in dreamland in the first half as Midson’s debatable penalty, his 12th goal in the competition this season, awarded for an alleged shirt pull by Sido Jombati, opened the scoring on eight minutes. The Tanners had further good chances but Wycombe finally got their act together with a wonder 35-yard Sam Saunders free-kick on 29 minutes. The Chairboys dominated the second half, taking the lead 14 minutes from the end through Craig Mackail-Smith. Leatherhead player-manager Sammy Moore was then bemused to be sent off for a second yellow card after tangling with Joe Jacobson. Adebayo Akinfenwa sealed Wycombe’s win with an injury-time header. Moore’s side earned around £200,000 from their seven games in the competition. ‘We’re disappointed we didn’t put our chances away,’ he said. ‘We could have been 4-0 up at halftime. But what a great FA Cup run.’