Gareth Ainsworth delighted with Wycombe performance despite Shrewsbury stalemate

Posted Wednesday, February 09, 2022 by PA

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth was pleased with how his players dominated their match against Shrewsbury, despite them not making it count in being held to a 0-0 League One draw.

It was largely one-way traffic at Adams Park as the Chairboys made most of the pressing against a Shrews side who looked happy to play for a point from an early stage.

Nonetheless, their defence held firm and it is now three games without a win for Wycombe, although they did move to within three points of second-placed Wigan, who suffered defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

Ainsworth said: “We were superb today, we really were and it was everything but the goal.

“There were some fantastic saves by the Shrewsbury ‘keeper – I don’t think he knew much about one of them and there’s the one that hit the post in the first half.

“(Matthew) Pennington has come up with an unbelievable clearance off the line – I don’t know how he’s got it over the bar from there, but I was really proud of the boys.

“I always am, but the lockout was brilliant tonight; two shots, none on target against us – David Stockdale’s last save was a couple of days ago in training, so that’s brilliant for us.

“Everything but the goal and that happens sometimes and you’ve got to take that and you’ve got to look through that as a manager.

“You can’t just be down and I am so positive because if we play like that again, we’re bound to score.”

The closest Wycombe came to opening the scoring in the first half was when Brandon Hanlan’s shot was deflected onto the post by Shrewsbury defender George Nurse.

Hanlan was then kept out by Marko Marosi’s fine save after the break and the Shrews goalkeeper had to be alert in pushing away Sullay Kaikai’s long-range effort later on.

Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill said: “I think when you come to Wycombe, you know what you’re in for.

“What you need then is you need to have a referee on form because them little moments in a game stick you back on the backfoot.

“I don’t understand what he was looking at tonight – he’s booked our lads for something less that their lads have done, or almost the same, and (it’s) not even a booking.

“It was a really difficult game for our boys and it’s difficult to come here.

“You know what you’re going to get, but the only thing is, it’s one thing knowing what you’re getting, (but) it’s another stopping it and I thought we did that tonight.

“I think what we’ve done is shown great commitment, great organisation, we got some great headers in, great blocks and all those things are part of the game.”