wycombe’s manager, gareth ainsworth, hailed david stockdale as “the exceptional goalkeeper in league one” after the 36-yr-antique’s saves proved crucial in a stoic rearguard action to assist his aspect to the league one playoff very last.
ainsworth admitted his aspect had been outplayed by mk dons within the league one playoff semi-final 2nd leg, but praised his gamers’ resilience once they absorbed some heavy pressure.
the dons had been the dominant team at stadium mk on sunday, trying to overturn a 2-zero deficit from the first leg. but, they could handiest manage a troy parrott header within the first 1/2 as they fell agonisingly short.
it was jubilation, but, for the chairboys, who can have the threat to copy their promoting to the championship from two seasons in the past after they face both sheffield wednesday or sunderland at wembley on 21 can also.
ainsworth stated: “i’m not going to say we have been the higher team. mk dons ruled ownership, ruled photographs, however we’ve dominated blocks, we’ve dominated saves, dominated absolute resilience around the field and the experience in my boys told.
“we got here with a plan to try and positioned the equal strain on them that we did at home. it didn’t work and liam [manning] modified his group a bit bit, changed his procedures by means of setting [theo] corbeanu in to pin considered one of our full-backs in. that turned into tough for us to cope with after which [scott] cord floats everywhere, so we had to drop into a deep block.
“david stockdale, what a cracking couple of saves he’s made. humans write him off left, right and centre. he’s been incredible and, for me, he’s been the excellent goalkeeper in league one this season.”
harry darling hit the bar with a header with just over a minute long gone earlier than parrott halved the deficit for mk dons with a looping header from hiram boateng’s cross.
stockdale made a brilliant one-surpassed save to preserve out corbeanu before preventing parrott from forcing extra time with nearly the ultimate kick.
the mk dons manager manning, whose aspect had completed just one point off an automatic promotion vicinity, stated: “the players may be devastated however i think while that emotion settles and you reflect and appearance returned, i’m certain they’ll be proud approximately how we went approximately it.
“it’s like a double hit, in phrases of disappointments. i said to the gamers: that’s occasionally unluckily lifestyles, but that’s also the sport and now and again you don’t get what you deserve.
“you have to suck it up and come out more difficult and more difficult and better the other facet. that’s what we’ll clearly do as a membership, as a group of workforce, as a group of players. allow’s become better, allow’s channel that frustration, that unhappiness, that emotion into becoming even better and kicking on in the destiny.”