Another week passes by as we build up to the new season. Two more signings were added and we faced our first two pre-season friendlies. On top of that, we were provided an in-depth interview that gave an insight into the meticulous planning taken by the club across all areas. For all the optimism, it’s the football that dominates the noise on the internet.

Tuesday evening against Sutton United was viewed by many as an early indicator into what the upcoming season had in store for the Chairboys. Come the Full time whistle, a 1-0 loss and many feared we had rinsed and repeated the same football under Dodds from the previous season. There appeared to be a clear divide amongst many in the fan base. You either viewed it as much needed fitness and game sharpness or at the other end of the spectrum were anticipating an improved shift in the footballing philosophy. Mike Dodds was quick to address the disappointment after the game: “I think you’ve got to try (and) park some of your emotions in terms of the scoreline, which I appreciate is difficult because it’s human nature and the way we are, we want to win games of football. But we’re two weeks into new ideas and for some of the players it’s slightly different ideas to what they’ve been used to”

So what were those new ideas? Friday evening was that insight as the club released it’s strategy interview. Dan Rice first started with a broad over view of the many facets the club had been addressing to get them to the current state. One that certainly sounded like growing over time. We then learnt more from Tom Stockwell and his objectives at bringing together a considered recruitment process that also aimed at bringing down the average age. But the definitive one from Mike Dodds gave Wycombe fans a deeper understanding behind the footballing vision for the club.

Dodds revealed the demand of an ‘cognitive’ skill set that would flood across from the senior team into the academy. This would fundamentally provide an almost seamless transition or pathway as the club looks to promote from within. Dodds alluded to the importance of this evolution “We’re not trying to be different for different sake. The three of us (Dan Rice, Mike Dodds and Tom Stockwell) believe in something that is a long-term project and we believe in a style of play that will eventually get us out of this league but more importantly make us more sustainable at the next level.”

So how does this actually transition into a football facet? Maybe the Cheltenham game gave the Chairboys fanbase a glimpse of this potential. Cognitive skills within a footballing perspective can range between game intelligence, spatial awareness, anticipation, reaction times, attention shifting and pattern recognition to name a few examples. These were very apparent across both halves in different formats. The first half was fluid, controlled, commanding and more importantly threatening. It’s the best I’ve witness Wycombe play under Dodds and this was only 45 minutes into a pre-season friendly. Sprinkle into this that the experimentation of players into different formations that kept Cheltenham on their toes. This was exciting. We could and probably should have scored more than two goals at half time. The same can be said of the second half as we only mustered one further goal.

What was evident from this game was the drop of a midfielder into the backline to become the creative pivot. In the first half this was Caolan Boyd-Munce and in the second it was Luke Leahy. This fundamentally transformed the back line into a more spatial back three which enabled wing backs to bomb forward and in some forms of our transitional play, create an extra outlet from midfield. For the likes of Dan Harvie and Finn Back, they were lapping this time and time again. Even our unknown trialist, who came on for Harvie, appeared to benefit from this style and subsequently getting our third decisive goal. I kid you not though, this is not Pep Guardiola’s Tiki Taka that I’m describing – This is Mike Dodds Wycombe vs Cheltenham. If this is the cognitive skill set that he has been working on, it could be a masterstroke.

Now before I get shouted down for sensationalism, Yes, “it’s only Cheltenham in a pre-season friendly”. I’m also fully aware that for this to work, it needs to be a constant and persistent practice. Therefore let’s see how this transitions in league football. But if we can now start to see Richard Kone roam with more swagger and rhythm as he started last season or attacking players like Alex Lowry and James Berry being able to express themselves and cause a nuisance for opposition defences whilst also developing their own games, I’m even more optimistic.

In my last opinion piece, I alluded to the fact that Mike Dodds could be the litmus test for the upcoming seasons success. And this still remains to be the case. But the very foundations on show against Cheltenham paint a very positive outlook. More of the same at Barnet on Tuesday night, please.