'I’m pleased for him' - Sam Grace on Alex Hartridge's attitude following cup match
Wycombe Wanderers interim manager Sam Grace has praised the attitude of defender Alex Hartridge following his display in the Berks & Bucks Cup.
The 27-year-old centre back started in the club’s recent 4-3 away defeat to Beaconsfield Town at Holloways Park on January 14.
He was the only first-team regular in the matchday squad with the team being made up of development players and academy trialists.
His appearance in the cup match came after he was sent off in the recent 1-1 home draw against Blackpool on January 4, which was his second red card of the campaign.
He is now eligible to be back in the squad for Wycombe’s match away at Mansfield this weekend.
Speaking on Hartridge’s attitude, Grace, who took over from Matt Bloomfield earlier this week following his sudden departure to Luton Town, told the Free Press: “Alex is an ultimate professional and what a guy he is.
“He said that he ‘wanted to get the minutes in and show them how it's done’.
“He went in to win headers, settle with the ball, step in and take responsibility, whether that’s playing through the line, hitting the diagonals, the calmness for the team and I’m pleased for him.”
Since joining from Exeter City in May 2024, Hartridge has played 14 times for the club.
His comments come after the Chairboys lost 4-3 away to the Rams in the quarter-finals of the Berks & Bucks Cup.
Despite the defeat, new signing Ryan Cole bagged a brace whilst Brody Peart, who has spent much of the season on loan at Basingstoke Town, scored a free-kick.
Wanderers boss, Sam Grace, said: “There were many positives such as we controlled large parts of possession and we stuck to our game plan.
“Ultimately, it came down to us not taking our chances and not dealing with our routine moments in the game, such as attacking the first ball, landing on the second and smoothing the game out.
“That was disappointing as I thought the players were better than that from what we showed, and these games always have it.
“The opposition, they’re playing Wycombe and the first 15/20 minutes is blood and thunder and they give it everything, and maybe there was a bit of naivety for those whose first experience of that.
“Even though some of those boys have played in and around, if not, higher than this level and it was our fault for starting so slow.”
