Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth has vowed that his side will show Cheltenham Town ‘respect’ ahead of this Saturday’s match in the West Country.
The Chairboys return to Gloucestershire seven days after defeating relegation-threatened Forest Green Rovers 2-0 at the New Bolt Stadium, with their rival county rivals also near the drop zone.
The Robins are currently sitting in 19th position in the League One table and have won five of their last 17 games so far this season.
Gareth Ainsworth with the press: “There were lots of positives from last week. The boys executed the plan brilliantly and having Josh back is a big bonus. It seems to have cleared a cloud that was hanging over us. Cheltenham have picked up some good results and they’ll be solid.”
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) November 17, 2022
READ MORE: 'We believe we can win every game we go into' - Ainsworth on Wycombe's attitude
And even though they have only won one of their last five games, the club are unbeaten in their last three league fixtures.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match, Ainsworth: “They have beaten some good teams, they got a point away at a very good Ipswich side so they are a solid team.
“And Cheltenham have had a year of League One experience, so we will go there with the utmost respect whether we are top of the league or bottom of the league.
“Will not be taking anything lightly wherever you are in the table, and it’s my job to make sure that everyone is motivated for all the games that we have.
👀 How does that look?#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueOne pic.twitter.com/4VhFfnQB7A
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) November 12, 2022
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“So we are not targeting any games.
"I think you are setting yourself up to fall down if you start to say that we should be getting points here, or we should be beating them easily, or we can’t lose to them etc.
“Because if you don’t, it will be a bit of a downer and our target has always been 'let us see how many points we can get after 46 games'.
“At the moment, we are sitting in a nice position, it has gone well so far this season and we’re under the radar as nobody is really talking about us at the moment, and hopefully, we can surprise a few teams above us.
Gareth: “We dropped quite far away from the playoffs last season but still got there in the end. We’re in touching distance at the moment and there’s still a long way to go. The break coming up will allow the boys to recover from a busy schedule and prepare for a big December.”
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) November 17, 2022
In terms of having a break for two weeks, Ainsworth added: "It probably is a good time for a break.
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“We have had a lot of Saturday/Tuesday fixtures recently so having two Saturdays in a row and with the break next week [November 26], I’ll give the players a couple of days off so that they can rest and recover their legs.
“This is because we have got a huge December coming up with some very big fixtures that will take us in January, so the more physical and mental rest I can give the boys the better.
“But we will be up for it on Saturday.”
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