Ainsworth hoping to extend Wycombe stay

May 3 2012 By Yann Tear

Gareth Ainsworth

GARETH Ainsworth says he wants to stay at Wycombe next season and help them bounce back after the team were relegated on Saturday.

The winger, who turns 39 this month, may have played his last game for Wanderers at Adams Park, but believes he still has something to offer on the pitch.

“I'm not sure yet whether I will be here next season,” said the former QPR player, who came off the bench to play an hour of Saturday’s 4-3 defeat to Notts County.

“My contract finishes in the summer and I’ll have to speak to the gaffer and see what happens.

“My overall feeling is that I’ve still got mileage in the legs, although I might have to get independent advice on that and see what the gaffer has to say about it.

“But I’d like to stay at Wycombe and help them get back up again. It’s a club that I think has got potential, and hopefully we can bring on the younger players that this club has always relied on.”

Ainsworth added: “There’s some real talent coming through at the club now, players like Charles Dunne, and hopefully we'll have a strong squad next year. I think he's just a little taste of what he have and with a couple of additions, we can go again. We’ll see where that leaves me.”

Ainsworth echoed boss Gary Waddock’s admission that Wycombe’s defending is what has cost them this season. The 86 goals conceded was too much even for Stuart Beavon’s 25 goals to counter.

“It’s really difficult to say exactly what we are going to need next year, but we’ve obviously let in a lot of goals this season and that needs to be put right,” he said.

“That’s not been the fault of the defence, the midfield or the attack. It’s Wycombe’s fault as a whole and we’ll have to work on improving that aspect as a team.

“We’ve scored a decent amount of goals and had Stuart Beavon in the 20s, so we’ve had things that would normally imply a good season, but we’ve just leaked too many. That’s ultimately cost us.

“We haven’t been good enough this season, but we've had another taste of League One football against some big sides and we want that again, so hopefully next year we’ll be regrouping and trying to get another promotion.

“It’s been a real yo-yo club and hopefully there’s another up next year.”