WYCOMBE ON A GOOD RUN OF PLATFORM

JOE JACOBSON celebrated FA Cup glory – but only because it could be the platform for a League revival.

The Welsh defender calmly tucked away his penalty, one of three goals in a bristling opening 25 minutes for Wycombe, as the Championship’s bottom club made it two wins in three games.

That form hints at the possibility of survival for Gareth Ainsworth’s team, who had previously won only twice all season. Wycombe are at fellow strugglers QPR on Saturday and Jacobson (above) said: “We knew before the tie that a cup run could kick-start our season.

“This result will give us a good platform for pushing on in the League. We wanted to win the game to build up confidence and remember what the winning feeling is like. We’ve won two out of three games so we’re going into the QPR game thinking we can claw a few points off them and bring them closer to us.”

Wycombe are only four points from safety and more energetic displays like this will surely lead them to survival.

Jacobson’s penalty came after Fred Onyedinma’s opener and, by the time Josh Knight swept home a third, it was all over for Preston. Riis Jakobsen pulled a goal back but Alex Samuel’s fourth Wycombe goal on should really have been their sixth or seventh.

Furious Preston boss Alex Neil said: “We didn’t get out-footballed. What we got was out-fought, which is even worse. Players given a chance shouldn’t have any complaints if they’re not in the team for a long time.”

Allsop 7, McCarthy 6, Knight 6, Tafazolli 8, Jacobson 7, Bloomfield 6 (Horgan 57, 8)), Adeniran 6 (Gape 68, 6), Wheeler 8, Muskwe 8 (Samuel 75) Onyedinma 8, Ikpeazu 7 (Akinfenwa 76). PRESTON: Ripley 7, Rafferty 5 (Fisher 74), Storey 4, Hughes 4, Earl 4 (Huntington 46, 6), Ledson 5, Potts 7, Bayliss 6 (Browne 46, 6), Mulumby 6 (Maguire 75), Stockley 5, Riis 7. REFEREE: Stephen Martin

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