Wycombe Manager Matt Bloomfield Expresses Pride in Leadership Role

Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield, who has secured 48 victories in his 97 matches leading the team, stated his pride in being “the guy at the front” following his side’s achievement of 11 consecutive wins across all competitions. The League One leaders advanced to the FA Cup third round by defeating Wealdstone 2-0, marking their first time reaching this stage since the 2020-21 season, when they had an automatic entry as a Championship club. For the match against their National League opponents, Bloomfield implemented 11 squad changes; however, goals from Beryly Lubala and substitute Richard Kone ensured their progression. Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, he remarked, “I’m really proud of the professionalism of the group. There were some sticky moments when we rode our luck a little bit,”. He further elaborated, “There was the potential of an upset, especially when you’ve got a team that haven’t been playing regularly together.” Bloomfield concluded, “I absolutely respect that from the players’ point of view, we expect a high level of performance when they’ve not been playing regular football, so for all those things to go into the mix, I’m really pleased with them.” Wycombe has maintained an unbeaten record since 24 September and aims to prolong their winning run during their upcoming league fixture away against Exeter City on Tuesday. A significant number of players expected to feature in the starting XI at St James Park were substitutes for the Wealdstone match, including the team’s leading scorer, Kone, who entered the game to net the decisive goal, marking his 12th of the current season. Regarding the extensive squad rotations, Bloomfield stated: “It just felt right. We actually had more experience in the team than we’ve had in certain League One games.” He continued, “We’ve got a group that we’re really pleased to have together and those guys all deserve to play. Unfortunately for some of them, they’ve not had as much football as they’d have wanted this season.” Bloomfield added, “For the buy-in of the whole group, there has to be a certain amount of football for everybody. As a manager, sometimes if you tell the group you believe in them, you have to show it as well.” Four years prior, Bloomfield was a player for Wycombe when the team advanced to the fourth round, ultimately suffering a 4-1 loss against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham. He further commented, “It’s really exciting. I want our supporters to look forward to watching their team, be proud of what we’re doing,”. Bloomfield concluded by saying, “We can’t always promise the wins we’re enjoying at the moment, there’s going to be bumps in the road, that’s sport, but I’m really proud to be the guy at the front.”