New Wycombe manager Mike Dodds was filled with optimism despite crashing out of the FA Cup to Preston on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
The League One team held their own for 120 minutes but Daniel Udoh and Adam Reach both saw their penalties saved by Freddie Woodman before Ched Evans scored the winning spot-kick in a 4-2 shoot-out success for North End.
Dodds replaced Matt Bloomfield as manager of the club after the 41-year-old left to join Luton and he was quick to praise the travelling fans for their support.
He said: “I didn’t know what to expect, with the distance and the travel and whatever else, but I thought they were incredible. Let’s be brutally honest, if they weren’t here then it would have been a quiet game.
“I’m looking forward to a home game where I can sample and taste the Wycombe fans but from my point of view, on behalf of the whole team and football club, I really appreciate the fans that travelled all this way to support us.
“My welcome to the football club has been incredible and if that (performance and support) is anything to go by then we’re going to have a really strong end to the season.”
On Preston, Dodds added: “I felt we completely limited them to nothing if I’m being brutally honest. I felt that they were trying to search for answers and we just completely nullified them.
“We probably had two or three really good chances and if we take them, we go through to the next round.”
Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom was happy to get the job done.
“I’m delighted,” Heckingbottom said. “This is what it’s all about. Wycombe didn’t disappoint us at all. We knew exactly what we were going to face and I had managed to see a lot of them even before we drew them in the cup.
“They’re really awkward to play against and they’re a really effective team and when you don’t take those chances early on, it makes it a really tough game. It became a war of attrition and we had to really battle and fight and we did that.
“They’re up there (second in League One) on merit. They give teams a real hard time with a never-say-die attitude.
“When they’ve been second-best in games in League One, they only take moments because of how direct they are and the athleticism and power of the front players to keep you honest.”
When asked who he wanted to face in the fifth round, Heckingbottom said: “I’m not bothered. That’s me done now. I’m not even thinking about it.”
However, he was “100 per cent” sure he wanted the match to be played at Deepdale.
