Every word Paul Heckingbottom said on Blackburn Rovers bounce back, Wycombe Wanderers and FA Cup incentive

What are your thoughts on the rest of the season? Seven points off sixth and 10 off 22nd...

“Win as many as we can,” said Heckingbottom. “That's it. Keep trying to get better, develop everything we're talking about... the personality of the team, the personality of the players. All the time, then with one eye towards next season. How well we do this season has a big impact on what we do in the summer, how much we do, what we've got to spend. All of that. Every game's really important.”

And you're well on with planning for the summer already?

“Yeah,” said Heckingbottom. “But just as we shifted in the last two days of window, we have to be ready to change plans. We're just trying to improve everywhere, basically. Whilst I could sit here now and say what I think might happen, just from experience I probably know that won't be the case. We're not trying to force something to happen.

“We're not trying to make something happen. We want to do as well as we can to create as much money as possible in the budget, to change the squad. I want the players to perform as well as they can to show that they're either going to stay or not, that type of thing. And then, that obviously directs the areas of the pitch and the squad that we're looking at. It's as simple as that.”

What's the mood been like this week after Blackburn?

“Yeah, good,” said Heckingbottom. “We all do debriefing. I was probably harsher than I should have been on the players afterwards and I said that. I'm usually pretty good when I watch the game... when I'm watching it live and the feedback I give the lads straight after in the dressing room. But when I watched the game back afterwards, we had more control than I thought in larger periods of the game.

“We all know why we didn't get points but I don't want to... we don't hide behind anything going wrong that's out of our control. But, yeah, I stood and watched it back and it would have been a fantastic point, having gone 2-0 down - again, in what I believe was unjust circumstances. To have come back and got the point it would have been great.

“And it would have shown everything we speak of: personality, character, the spirit of the group, how good we can be. But we had that taken away from us again, which was out of our control. So yeah, internally to the lads I told them why I was a little bit overly critical. But I just want to enjoy watching us play and there were certain parts of that I didn't enjoy.”

What are the big benefits of the FA Cup to a Championship team?

“Finances are big,” said Heckingbottom. “Compared to the league cup, it's chalk and cheese. It's a totally different audience if you can go on a cup run. We're used to Sky covering the Championship. The Premier League is global, massive, worldwide... and the FA Cup is that, especially as you go to latter stages. So for players, it's a brand new audience.

“People's careers have been made off the back of cup runs as a player. Finances can help, not just in the short term but in the longer term. So yes, there's big incentives to do well for your career but also for memories and the chance to try and achieve something, the chance to get to Wembley. It's different and you've got to enjoy it.

“Although every Championship game is a real challenge and we play some fantastic teams and it's tough, the further you go in the FA Cup, the more like you are to draw Premier League teams, playing at venues that we're not playing at every week. And then as you get closer and closer, you can be just a game or two away from a semi-final at Wembley now.”

Can it help you get into good habits?

“Every game does,” said Heckingbottom. “It's a chance to practice and get better. I think what the FA Cup can do is... we've had a real tough game against Charlton and we had to show a real good mentality to win that game. Charlton came, were very organised, made things really difficult for us and we had to battle to win that game.

“Wycombe will be exactly the same. They are pretty direct and probably more effective when they're direct. That's not me belittling them. I just think where their threats are, they come from the real directness of those front players and getting balls in the box. Then they're a threat from set plays if they do get the territory.

“So once again, we're going to have to perform really, really well, especially without the ball. Then, hopefully, we can cause more problems for them when we have it. But the moment you take the foot off the gas and your habits drop, then you're going to come unstuck.”