Wycombe Wanderers fans, players and staff are all too aware of the predicament facing Saturday’s opponents Carlisle.

After 31 League Two games last season Blues sat 22nd in the table with 34 points, one better off than Keith Curle’s side have managed to accrue from the same number of matches this term.

And whilst Wanderers are challenging for honours at the top of the table rather than fighting to avoid the drop this time round, Gareth Ainsworth knows exactly how desperate 20th place Carlisle will be for maximum points at Brunton Park on Saturday.

He said: “We hosted Chesterfield at home when they were flying high in the league and we were down at the wrong end of the table, and I remember winning that game 1-0 with a convincing performance.

“They will be fighting, Keith Curle’s a fighter, his team will be fighting, it’s a long way to go but we don’t intend to be coming back with nothing.

“We have enough about us to know they’re in a difficult situation scrapping for every single point, but I know if we can play some of the stuff I know we’re capable of we can get the three points.”

The dilemma for Ainsworth ahead of the trip to the Cumbria will be how to get his side firing again after watching his team score just twice in their previous five outings.

While goals have been in short supply for Blues in recent times they are still the highest scorers away from home in the division, having netted 23 times in 15 games.

Captain Paul Hayes is in line to make his first start for Blues since returning from injury, and Ainsworth is confident that, with a full week’s worth of training behind him, his skipper will be able to lead the way to goal.

“We need goals,” he said. “I think the worst statistician in the world would realise that we’ve lacked goals in the last four, five, six games. Goals are a big thing in football; it’s what the game’s about.

“We tend to keep the majority of goals out so we need to go and score them at the other end. It’s coincided with an injury to our top-scorer Paul Hayes and now he’s back hopefully he can add that bit of class that we’ve been crying out for in certain games.

“He’s a great player, the first signing that I made this season and that was for a reason. He’s played well above this level, he’s quick in mind and a great finisher too.”

Tomorrow’s opponents have lost six out of their last nine League Two, and have been beaten in three of their last four fixtures on their own patch.

Apart from Max Kretzschmar, who will miss the trip with a thigh injury, the Wycombe manager has a fully fit squad to pick from as Blues look to find comfort on their travels after two disappointing results on home turf.

Ainsworth said: “We’re two thirds of the way through the season and it’s the first time we’ve been beaten by more than one goal and the first time we’ve had back-to-back defeats.

“It’s a tough one to take and it’s a bit of an unknown for the boys because they’re used to winning or drawing this season. We’ll react in the right way. We’re on the road tomorrow and it will be a long, long trip.

“This group bonds together well; there’s only a few of us so everyone’s got to be mates and an away trip is usually a good experience, and more often than not we’ve got the right result this season.”