Defensive frailties cost us, says philosophical Wycombe boss

Apr 28 2012 By Yann Tear

GARY WADDOCK has vowed to help Wycombe bounce back from the disappointment of relegation – but admits he will need to address the defensive shortcomings cost his team this season.

The Chairboys did their best to carry their fight to the final weekend of the season with a gusty performance against play-off hopefuls Notts County at Adams Park.

But in the end, weak defending allowed a 3-2 lead to turn into a 4-3 defeat in the closing minutes – a result which confirmed an instant return to League Two.

“I'll dust myself down. We'll learn from it and we'll be stronger for it,” said Wycombe's boss.

“There are challenges and disappointments throughout your career – I've had that through my career and I've had another one today, but I'll be stronger for it.

“Every single one of us – supporters, players and everybody associated with the club - is absolutely devastated. It's not a nice feeling after all that hard work and effort that's gone in last season and this season

“But we've got to learn from it and move forward during the summer and then go into the new campaign looking to start off well.”

Wycombe led three times against the Magpies before losing and Waddock says it typifies the team's struggles this season.

“I think that performance summed the season up really,” he said. “We've competed against a good side and we've done that throughout the season, but we've conceded far too many goals. That's meant we've not been able to pick up the points total that we need.

“We've scored goals, but we've conceded far too many. We've been in positions in games where we've got ourselves in front and then teams have been able to peg us back and we've not been able to see games out. Like today.

“That late in the game, we'd like to have seen it out, but unfortunately we didn't. But it's not just today's game, it's over the course of the season – that's why we are where we are.

“Not so long ago, though, everybody had written us off. Credit to the players to get us in a position where we had a chance of getting out. I'm really disappointed for them. We've come up against big clubs with big resources.”

Waddock had words of appreciation for the fans, who stayed behind to cheer their side after the game, in spite of the obvious hurt.

“The support we got today was outstanding,” he said.

“The fans could quite easily have gone home with nobody in the stadium [after the final whistle] but they were great.

"They were good to the players at the end. I think they saw today the amount of effort and work-rate that the players have put in.”