Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth has revealed he will not ‘belittle’ the FA Cup this weekend.
The Chairboys will travel up to Hartlepool United to play the League Two side in the first round of the competition, off the back of their first home league defeat of the season in the 4-1 loss against Ipswich.
Three days before, Wanderers threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 away at Fleetwood Town who in the bottom four in the league.
Next up: #Chairboys are on the road to @Official_HUFC in the first round of the @EmiratesFACup on Saturday.
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) November 3, 2021
Tickets from https://t.co/L8vpuGV6G0, or buy on the day.#HARvWYC pic.twitter.com/0j06kunoXN
And with this being the first-ever meeting between the two sides in the FA Cup, Ainsworth is hoping his side can set the record straight when they go up to County Durham this weekend.
READ MORE: 'We knew Wycombe would start well' - Ipswich boss Paul Cook on Chairboys battle
He said: “The FA Cup means a lot to me.
“One or two of my boys are carrying knocks and maybe, it might be right to keep them fit for the league.
“We’ve got some young development players who would relish a chance to play in the FA Cup but I do not weaken the side to belittle the competition, it will be done for the right reasons being medical reasons.
“We are hoping to get into round two.”
Hartlepool Vs Wycombe
— S.P.R sports stats (Simon) (@Footiespr5687) November 4, 2021
Hartlepool have only lost 2 of last 24 home matches they being against Crewe and Maidenhead . Wycombe have won 4 of last 5 visits Victoria Park @Official_HUFC @wwfcofficial #Chairboys #HUFC Prediction = 2-3
The two sides have played each other 16 times since their first meeting in 2003, with Wycombe winning on 10 occasions.
This will be the first fixture between the Chairboys and Pool since March 2017, when Wanderers defeated a struggling Hartlepool side 2-0 at Victoria Park.
Adebayo Akinfenwa and Paris Cowan-Hall scored for Gareth Ainsworth’s men, with the latter then being sent off in the final seconds of the match.
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