GARETH AINSWORTH is hoping a play-off final victory over Sunderland tomorrow afternoon will enable his club to shed their tag of being ‘little Wycombe’ once and for all.
Ainsworth has spent most of the last week attempting to portray the Chairboys as plucky underdogs in comparison to the Black Cats, but on the eve of tomorrow’s final at Wembley, he changed tack and suggested his club is more upwardly-mobile than it is given credit for.
Wycombe spent last season in the Championship, with their relegation only being confirmed on the final weekend, and Ainsworth feels the club’s time in the second tier has enabled it to grow and develop.
“We’re averaging more fans than for such a long time,” said Ainsworth, who is the second-longest serving manager in England’s top four divisions. “We’re taking 25,000 hopefully to Wembley, so I think calling us ‘Little Wycombe’ now would be wrong.
"I think ‘Growing Wycombe’ would be better because we’re definitely building something. There’s more kits in the town centre, more press activity, and I think we’ve got to start shaking that ‘little’ tag off.”
Even so, Ainsworth accepts that his side were regarded as unlikely finalists when they lined up against MK Dons in the semi-finals, and are seen as equally unlikely victors tomorrow afternoon.
The bookmakers make Sunderland favourites, and with around 50,000 Wearsiders having been allocated tickets, Wembley will be a sea of red-and-white. Nevertheless, Ainsworth insists it would be folly to write his side off.
“We weren’t fancied for the play-offs,” he said. “Pundits were saying the play-off final would be Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday – it’s almost like we’re there but people don’t want to recognise we’re there. We love that tag of ‘How are they still knocking around?’”
Ainsworth has become known for his unconventional look on the touchline, and while the weather will influence his clothing selection tomorrow, he will almost certainly be eschewing the traditional Wembley suit.
“The leather jacket’s a definite no-no,” he said. “I’d be stupid trying to look like the Fonz while melting in 30 degrees at Wembley. But there’ll definitely be something.”
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