Gaz puts up a good fright
GARETH AINSWORTH celebrated his 400th game in charge of Wycombe with victory – and then claimed their League One rivals are scared of them.
The Chairboys remain second after goals from Adebayo Akinfenwa, Darius Charles and Matt Bloomfield.
Ainsworth’s men may have stumbled since December but he said: “It’s been a brilliant season so far – we’ve already equalled what we’ve done last season.
“People are talking about us and making jokes about why Wycombe are in the top six.
“I’m taking that as a huge compliment. When people say, ‘How the hell are they there?’ I think they are worried about us.”
Wycombe went ahead just nine minutes in as Akinfenwa sidefooted in from Dominic Gape’s cross before Ainsworth joined 13th-minute applause for local youngster Oliver Darlington who passed away last month.
Rovers responded as Jayden Mitchell-lawson
WYCOMBE scored a cracking 27thminute effort from the edge of the area for his first career goal.
The luckless visitors, who had 19 shots, should have gone ahead with Jonson Clarke-harris denied by Ryan Allsop and the striker then hit the bar.
Wycombe though saw off their opponents with two goals in the space of two minutes.
Charles netted his second goal for the club on the rebound after Jamal Blackman kept out Joe Jacobson’s 39th-minute volley.
And then Bloomfield celebrated his 36th birthday by storming into the area and finishing well.
Captain Bloomfield went off with a dead leg at the break and the hosts lost their rhythm after that.
But Rovers, who have now failed to win in 12 and not at all under new manager Ben Garner, continued to frustrate in attack.
Clarke-harris was denied on the line by David Wheeler and then fired wide when superbly placed.
That left Garner frustrated along with ref §’s performance.
He said: “In open play we were much the better side, we should have scored more.
“We needed a strong referee – unfortunately he was anything but.
“We should have had two penalties, decisions are having an impact on the results.”
BRISTOL ROVERS