Ainsworth ain’t happy VITAL STATS
GARETH AINSWORTH blasted the level of officials after Wycombe were denied a last-gasp Scott Kashket leveller by a linesman’s late flag.
Coventry’s Liam Kelly, who had gone 85 games without a goal, hit two in 11 minutes before going off at the break.
But the game turned on its head when Wycombe’s Joe Jacobson converted a penalty on 61 minutes.
Boss Ainsworth fumed: “We scored at the end and it was given offside when, for all the world, it looks on. How the linesman has given it and taken so much time, I don’t know. I thought the officials would be better at this level.”
It meant City boss Mark Robins enjoyed luck at the end of both halves.
There was nothing lucky about
Kelly’s opener on 34 minutes, a low right-foot shot into the bottomright corner, but he then pulled his groin and the only reason he was in the box to smash in Leo Ostigard’s knockdown from a 45th-minute free-kick was that he moved into a forward role to play out the half.
Ade Akinfenwa’s arrival turned the tide Wycombe’s way. His knockdown led to David Wheeler being fouled by Ben Sheaf and Jacobson did the rest.
Gustavo Hamer hit the post from halfway, but Kashket thought he had levelled after Ben Wilson spilled an Akinfenwa volley – only for the linesman to raise his flag.
Robins said: “Liam got up to the edge of the box and hit it true.
“Then he is injured and he wants to come off, but that then takes away the opportunity to make a substitution, so he stayed on and scored.”
WYCOMBE: Allsop 6, Grimmer 6, McCarthy 6, Knight 6, Jacobson 6; Gape 6, Pattison 6 (Kashket 72), Bloomfield 6 (Wheeler 58, 7), Horgan 5 (McCleary 58, 6), Samuel 6 (Akinfemwa 58, 7), Onyedinma 7. Unused subs: Stockdale, Charles, Freeman, Parker, Mehmeti. COVENTRY: Wilson 6, Ostigard 7, McFadzean 7, Hyam 7, Dabo 6, Sheaf 6, Kelly 8 (Bakayoko 46, 6), McCallum 6, Shipley 5 (Hamer 31, 6), O’Hare 7, Walker 6 (Biamou 89).
Unused subs: Camp, Allen, Pask, Giles, Dacosta, Kasteneer. MAN OF THE MATCH: Liam Kelly. Two match-winning goals – the second scored while injured.
REFEREE: Andy Davies 7.