Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth was full of praise for two of his new signings following the Chairboys’ 1-0 win over Lincoln City on Saturday.
The home side won 1-0 thanks to an early Sam Vokes header – his first at Adams Park, in a hard-fought battle in Bucks.
The toast of Wycombe.
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) August 21, 2021
Super Sam Vokes is fast becoming a #Chairboys star.#WYCvLIN pic.twitter.com/KSaWg00MOl
Despite dominating the opening 10 minutes, the Imps got back into the game and had several chances to pull level, most notably through Anthony Scully and Hakeen Adelakun, along with substitutes Dan N’Lundulu and Teddy Bishop.
But the performances of the new boys in Vokes and Josh Scowen really caught Ainsworth’s eye, as Wycombe continue their great start to the season.
The Chairboys are now unbeaten in seven matches (dating back to May) and are unbeaten in six games against Lincoln.
On Scowen, Ainsworth said: “He is an unbelievable signing for this football club.
Grimmer was much improved. Scowen was superb, again. McCleary is just great.
— Taylor Toney-Green (@TaylorTG_) August 21, 2021
Can’t say enough good words about Stewart and JJ who were fantastic.
MOTM: Josh Scowen
“People know that the first thing I did when I got the job here was get Josh Scowen back on loan from Eastbourne and put him in the team.
“I still remember the phone call to Tommy Widdrington the time, and he reluctantly picked up and said, ‘oh no, he is my best player’.
“He’s a dream to work with, he is back home and he’s part of the team that really believes that they can achieve this year.”
On Vokes, he said: “I love having him.”
READ MORE: Wycombe 1 - 0 Lincoln City: Sam Vokes' early goal enough for Chairboys win
“He’s a real weapon as he puts in a lot of fear in defences.
“He’s got a heck of a scoring rate, and I felt that Jordan Obita’s cross was superb [the assist], but let’s not discount what Garath McCleary did, as he opened the space up with a 30-yard overlap, which we work on, which enabled Jordan to pick out Sam.”
Overall, it was a brilliant performance in what was a difficult match for the Chairboys.
Was going to send a Josh Scowen appreciation tweet, but will just second this instead. Was there a blade of grass he didn’t touch today? #workrate
— Oliver Currell (@currellone) August 21, 2021
Michael Appleton’s men showed in front of a 5,000 plus crowd at Adams Park why they got to the League One play-off final last season, and Lincoln could have found themselves unlucky, if it wasn’t for the brilliant defensive displays of Obita, Joe Jacobson, Anthony Stewart, and Jack Grimmer, with Curtis Thompson and Nick Freeman sitting in the midfield.
In the game's dying embers, David Stockdale also produced an incredible save from point-blank range to keep all three points for Wycombe.
Ainsworth continued: “I’m just glad we got the three points.
READ MORE: Former Wycombe keeper joins Irish outfit following release from Wanderers
“It wasn’t comfortable in the slightest, as they had one that flashed across the goal and Stockdale has made an unbelievable save, but I thought we could have one or two more.
“We had several shots but they blocked it well, had a few go over the bar, a few set pieces, and I think we had a huge shout for a penalty but the referee was letting a lot go.
When your Dad’s heroics help win the game - well done @stockogk1313 great for players having fans and their families back @wwfcofficial pic.twitter.com/nHL9K31Bmc
— Ian Abrahams (Moose) (@BroadcastMoose) August 21, 2021
“It was a brilliant way to start the game and for the first 10 minutes, I thought we really set the scene and stepped onto Lincoln.
“They’re a good side and I expect them to be up and around it this season, but I am pleased we got the win.”
Up next is an away trip to Stevenage in the Carabao Cup, before facing Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on August 28.
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