Play-offs are slipping away

The Wycombe skipper also looks at how their promotion bid has stalled as well as previewing Saturday's clash with Hartlepool.

Hi everyone.

A play-off place is out of our hands now and that's very frustrating. Now we have to win our last four games to have any chance. If we drop points then we will be watching the play-offs at home.

If we had won our games against Shrewsbury and Grimsby over the Easter period then we would almost have been guaranteed a spot. What makes it more annoying is that we played well in those games but only got two points.

We put in a good performance against Shrewsbury on Saturday but we fell foul of the same problems as before. Having gone ahead, we let in a goal when we did not look like conceding. Two or three players had the chance to clear the ball but it ended up being a tap-in. It was disappointing to say the least.

We had made a great start by taking the lead. I could see the defender was going to pass it back. I was not hiding - he just could not see me. I nicked it and ended up sliding it in from an angle. It was great for me and the team, but they were level five minutes later.

I came off after 75 minutes. The gaffer was just concerned that I needed a rest, so I did not travel to Grimsby for Monday's game either. Knowing I was in for a rest meant I could give it everything against Shrewsbury.

At my age, I seem to struggle 48 hours after game more than the following day, so it was the sensible thing to do. I would not have been able to give my all had I played twice in three days.

I have started 40 games this season, which sounds a lot, but I think in each of the last four seasons I have played 50 games. While I don't train as much as the other lads, I don't think there are many who have played 200 games in that time, and I'm in my mid-30s! I still enjoy it, especially match days, but on the flip-side, I need to look after myself a bit better than I did when I was in my 20s.

We made another good start against Grimsby on Easter Monday and were 2-0 up in quick time, but we conceded two goals and dropped two points. In our last two away games, we have scored five and conceded five. Defensively, that's not good enough.

From an attacking point of view, we find it easier away from home because teams try to play against us. We can find space and don't have to rely on Jermaine's pace on the counter. At home, teams put men behind the ball which can be hard to break down. We have not won enough of our home games.

I'll be back for Hartlepool on Saturday, although with Jermaine and Scott McGleish scoring against Grimsby, I'm not sure if I will get back in the side.

Hartlepool are a very strong team. They have lots of experienced players and will be well organised. In signing Richie Barker during the window, they have got half a dozen goals from him already. He's been an excellent signing.

I expect them to win the league, but we need to beat them on Saturday. They will come and play - the better sides tend to, but there won't be any nerves in their dressing room with promotion and the title at stake. Having been in a dressing room which is on form and pushing for the title, they will not be worrying at all.

I'm hoping to watch Watford's Semi-Final with Manchester United after our game.

Having watched United beat Roma 7-1, I'm scared for my old club. They were awesome and will take that confidence into the next game, which can't be good for Watford.

It's a very difficult game but football can be strange. Watford will be looking forward to it and they will be going into the game on the back of a 4-2 win over Portsmouth, which was one of their best performances of the season.

Hopefully I'll watch Watford win after we've picked up three points.

If you were a kid today, with centre of excellence coaches and better facilities, do you think you would have been a better player?
George Carney
That's a good question. I would have thought so based on the experiences of my son, who plays for Aston Villa U9s. He's been there a year and it's clear the facilities and coaching are better than what I received. Aston Villa seems to have an excellent structure. It's important for kids between eight and 11, that's their formative years, the period where they will learn the most. It's completely different from when I was a schoolboy at Middlesbrough. I was 12 years old and would only go along for a couple of weeks in the holidays. My son goes two or three times a week and plays at the weekends. He's a striker like me. The goals seem to be going in for him at the moment - I'm not sure where he got that from! I'm not one of these parents who shouts from the sidelines. The other parents can't believe how I can just stand there and say nothing. I just enjoy the fact that he likes playing.

What's your advice to anyone trying to get into professional football? Also, what kept you going when you wanted to give up?
Harry Wheeler
There were a couple of times when I questioned whether to keep going. When I was a schoolboy at Middlesbrough, I did not get offered a YTS so I started at college and played non-League on Saturdays. I was just 16 or 17 playing against grown men. I played for less than a season and got offered a trial at Aston Villa. I think my advice would be that if you are good enough, then someone will spot you. There are loads of scouts these days as it's important for clubs to scan the non-League scene. The same would apply if you are playing junior football - get your head down and enjoy it. If you do get spotted and offered a trial, then that's when you need to impress them.

I was at Adams Park for the Boston game. In the second half it seemed as if you were getting a bit of stick from a Wycombe fan. How do you usually deal with these moaners?
Andy Wilson
I remember that. He was a grown bloke, standing with his young son, swearing at me! I appreciate he was frustrated with the performance, but it's not a very good example to set to his son, who looked the same age as mine, so I just looked back and called him an idiot. He's not the first and he won't be the last, but being sworn at from the terraces is not going to hurt me. Having banter with the fans is not something I shy away from. I give 100 per cent every game - if that is not good enough for some people then so be it. You can't please everyone. It's easy to pick on an individual but I'd rather they picked on me than one of the younger guys. If you are 18 or 19 and not playing well, then being shouted at is going to do nothing for your confidence. That's the last thing you need.