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Bucks Free Press
WANDERERS have warned managerless Mansfield Town to expect the backlash from Tuesday night's emotional rollercoaster which saw Wycombe concede seven second half goals against Aston Villa.
Manager John Gorman refused to hold an inquest into the Blues' second half collapse and has put that 45 minutes to one side.
Normally the players watch a video of the previous game but not this time.
Gorman said: "It's gone we are not even going to talk about this week."
But while the players have been told to forget the second half, they are drawing strength from that incredible first half when they took Villa to the cleaners and led the Premiership outfit 3-1.
Stefan Oakes, who had a hand in all three Wycombe goals, said: "What we did to Villa in the first half, we should be doing to every team in our league week-in-week-out.
"If we can score three in one half against Premier League opposition we have got to start taking our chances against the teams in our league. If we do that, we will walk this league.
"The quality in this team is amazing. I'm just glad to be part of a team playing such great football.
"I've come here to win medals and to be at the top of the league and all the boys know that if we repeat that first half against Villa every week, we will be top of the league."
Tomorrow's opponents enjoyed their own special cup night in midweek, beating Southampton 1-0 with former Wanderers loanee Adam Birchall in the side and former Chairboy Gus Uhlenbeek an unused substitute.
Blues scorer Tommy Mooney, who ended his own six-match scoring drought against Villa, said: "Mansfield have knocked Southampton out so hopefully it will be after the Lord Mayor's show for them.
"We can take heart from the way we played in the first half against Aston Villa and we know we've got to do that in the league.
"Scoring on my debut and then having to wait so long for my third one is not what I expected but if the boys can keep getting the crosses in I will get my head on them."
Skipper Roger Johnson, Blues' other scorer, is also determined to forget the midweek crumble and get back to the priority of winning promotion.
He said: "We will put Tuesday to one side, forget about it and get on with beating Mansfield. That's always been the main aim.
"We should be doing to sides in our league what Villa did to us. We are creating that many chances in games and we should be beating sides seven and eight."
Wanderers won 4-1 in the snow at Field Mill last season but can expect it to be lot tougher this time around.
The Stags are under the temporary stewardship of Peter Shirtliff. He took on the caretaker's role following manager Carlton Palmer's resignation last Saturday.
Shirtliff, who has won promotions as assistant manager at Leicester and Barnsley, wants the job full-time and knows that the best way to try and get it would be by becoming the first League Two side this season to inflict a defeat on Blues.
Wycombe travel up the M1 without midfield scrapper Joe Burnell. He aggravated his long-standing back injury in midweek and has been ordered to rest.
There are also doubts about Tyson (dead leg), Rob Lee (achilles) and Kevin Betsy (calf).
The latter two both missed the Villa thriller but Gorman is confident both will be fit to make the squad.