Ainsworth hails his ‘special group’ after beating Barnsley

Posted Sunday, December 09, 2018 by PA

Gareth Ainsworth hailed his ‘special group’ as Randell Williams’ outstanding strike edged Wycombe past Barnsley in a 1-0 win at Adams Park.

The home side dominated the match throughout and had a strong penalty claim early on when Cameron McGeehan brought Alex Samuel down, but referee Anthony Coggins waved the protests away.

Williams’ strike came early in the second half and Barnsley could find no way back, with the Chairboys now up to ninth in League One.

“This was all about the boys,” commented Ainsworth. “They were fantastic today. We had a game plan and we had a full week to work on it this week which was important.

“I was worried performance-wise because we hadn’t had a game for 10 days, but this group is something special, it really is, and I’m so proud of them today because both halves we played really well.

“We nullified Barnsley’s threats and we could have had two or three goals which would’ve been great.

“They had a chance at the end but I’m hoping they give us some credit for the way we’ve played because little Wycombe have again turned the form guide on its head – I’m really, really proud of the boys.

“That was a special result against a team who will be up there at the end of the season.”

Samuel’s flicked header was the best chance of the first half, before the penalty claim in the 20th minute.

Wycombe took the lead in the 55th minute, Williams volleying a loose ball from the edge of the area through the crowd and past Barnsley’s Adam Davies.

Barnsley put on more pressure as the game entered the final stages, but never came close to scoring until Ethan Pinnock’s chance late on, leaving boss Daniel Strendel frustrated.

“I have no explanation for this performance today,” said the Barnsley manager. “I’m not sure we played that badly but I don’t know why we played how we did.

“We knew Wycombe would be strong from long balls and set-pieces, but they scored from a set-piece.

“We knew they would stop us getting space but we had the ball always on the halfway line and not enough near their goal.

“We needed more power and more speed in our attack. We did not have a high enough tempo.

“My impression was that we were tired but I don’t know why. Most of these players didn’t play on Tuesday. This team was fresh but not one player played at the level he can normally play at.

“December is a decisive month when we are playing a lot of teams at the top of the table and my task is to get us ready. I’m sure we will be.”