Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth answers injury crisis for Checkatrade Trophy tie at Swindon
Tuesday 31 October 2017 13:39, UK
Wycombe Wanderers’ manager Gareth Ainsworth is preparing to come out of retirement to get the club through its current injury crisis.
The Sky Bet League Two side were without eight first-team regulars for Saturday's 3-3 draw with Cheltenham, and are struggling for Tuesday night's Checkatrade Trophy tie with Swindon.
Ainsworth, 44, is set to name himself on the bench in an attempt to shore up his depleted playing roster.
"Other than the start of last season, I can't remember a time during my managerial career when we've had such a long injury list," he said.
"We've had a busy October with a long trip to Carlisle and now another midweek game, and we need to make sure we don't overwork the boys, so there may be a few changes tonight. If it means that I need to pull the boots on again then so be it.
"I keep myself fit and I join in with training from time to time, so I'll be ready if required, but we're going to Swindon looking for the win and I'm confident the team I pick will be more than capable of doing just that."
Ainsworth officially retired at the end of the 2012/13 season but last featured 14 months ago in the same competition when facing a similar crisis.
"A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to look at the data from our training sessions and the condition of each individual player," he added.
"It's a meticulous process carried out by our expert medical team and you can't legislate for these freak injuries which have been cropping up."
