Gareth Ainsworth said seeing off his boyhood club to keep his Wycombe Wanderers side in with a fighting chance of survival was a ‘big scalp’.

Fred Onyedinma scored the only goal of the game to give the Chairboys a 1-0 victory and inflict more misery on Rovers and manager Tony Mowbray.

It is now seven points from the last nine available for Ainsworth’s side who are now just two behind second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday heading into a six-pointer against Rotherham United on Easter Monday.

Ainsworth endured a tough return to his hometown club in September as an Adam Armstrong hat-trick helped Rovers to a 5-0 win, but Wycombe have come a long way since then, and with a change to a three at the back system, were deserving of their three points in the Adams Park return.

He said: “We probably surprised a few people, changed up our system a little bit and I thought it really worked a treat first half, we caused no end of problems, some fantastic performances from some individuals.

“As a team, two weeks working on changing what we wanted to be and I think it’s paid dividends.

“It’s only one result, but it’s a big result because of what happened up at their place. We stay in the hunt, right in the pack of the relegation scrap, it’s brilliant.

“People will be looking at Wycombe thinking ‘are they dead and buried?’, absolutely no chance. May 8, we’ll be scrapping every 90 minutes no matter what happens and that’s what I love about this place and my boys.

“It’s a great win.”

Ainsworth has made no secret of his love for Rovers, and speaking before the game said: “It is a real honour to host my hometown club, the club that I have supported all my life, and I'll continue to support them forever."

He admitted it was the first time he’d been happy to see Rovers lose, given the importance for his side, and said the pre-match comments of his opposite number meant a lot to him.

“Tony Mowbray paid me big compliments in the press before the game saying that it would be tough and that the team emulate their manager and I take them as massive compliments from somebody who I have a huge amount of respect for,” he explained.

“He’s achieved a hell of a lot in the game, managed at every level, and was a fantastic player. That makes it an even bigger scalp for me.”