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Wanderers FA Amateur Cup run of 1930/31 Games so far: 1st Round - London Caledonians 1 Wycombe Wanderers 4 2nd Round - Wycombe Wanderers 6 Walthamstow Avenue 1 Wanderers went into their third round encounter with Romford in confident mood despite their opponents being described as “the Essex wonder side.” The Blues had played just once since their mauling of Walthamstow Avenue in the previous round, a 6-3 win over Slough in the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup. Doug Vernon and Dick Braisher came back into the side replacing George Tapping and the ill Charlie Simmons. F.A. Amateur Cup Third Round Proper - Saturday 7th February 1931 Wycombe Wanderers versus Romford At Loakes Park - Attendance: 9,014 ‘Touchline’ was the Bucks Free Press scribe once again and he wrote that both Nattrass and Pitts took the field unfit for visitors. Yet another record Loakes Park crowd of over 9,000 saw Wycombe go onto the attack straight for the kick-off and went ahead after just four minutes. A Wycombe corner resulted in a goalmouth scramble and the ball fell for John Timberlake who shot through a crowded penalty area and into the back of the net. The visitors struggled to settle down and Wanderers piled on the pressure. Vernon’s shot skimmed the bar and then Romford keeper Conley saved well from a Braisher. However a second goal wouldn’t come and the visitors fought back. Chapman, Romford’s left winger played some sparkling football and initiated the movements time after time. Eventually the equaliser came, Chapman found Guyton who fired past Kipping from twenty yards. Wycombe came straight back and Braisher fired wide from a Timberlake corner and a minute later he missed again when set up by Brown. The game changed again and Kipping was kept busy as Romford subdued the home side. After half an hour the visitors took the lad with what Touchline described as “a somewhat queer goal.” Chapman curled in a corner kick and Kipping tried to hold the ball against the goalpost but the ball squeezed over the line. Romford continued on the offensive yet just before half-time Rance fired in a shot that hit the crossbar and Alf Britnell reacted first to fire home the rebound. Half-time: Wycombe Wanderers 2 Romford 2 The second half started in similar fashion to the first, and within two minutes Wycombe had taken the lead again. RAF man Doug Vernon twisted as he fell but somehow managed to guide the ball into the back of the net. Wycombe seized the initiative and within a minute had scored again. Greenwell played a lovely pass to Fred Rance who beat Conley in the visitors’ goal. Romford were showing signs of exhaustion whilst obviously elated with their quick success the Wanderers played some tremendous football. Vernon was denied his second as Nattrass fouled him in the area. Crump however fired the resulting penalty wide. Within a minute however Wanderers scored their fifth, Fred Rance sliding the ball home. The remainder of the game was mostly played in and around the visitors’ penalty area as Wanderers missed chance after chance. Doug Vernon, who had hardly been allowed a sniff on goal in the first half scored his second and Wycombe’s sixth in the last ten minutes, chipping the loose ball past the despairing Conley after his initial shot had cracked the bar. Vernon hit the bar again shortly afterwards and Britnell missed a sitter but it didn’t matter as at the final whistle Romford came off the field “distressed,” they had put all they had into the first half and in the second half Wycombe’s wonderful stamina and confident play triumphed. It was the best thing Wycombe had done this season whilst Romford made a better showing at Loakes Park than any other team. The victory placed Wycombe in the limelight again and the victory earned them the mantle as warm favourites for the Amateur Cup. Final score: Wycombe Wanderers 6 Romford 2 Wycombe Team: Kipping, Crump, Cox, Timberlake, Badrick, Greenwell, Rance, Brown, Vernon, Braisher and Britnell. Scorers: Timberlake 4, Britnell 43, Vernon 47, 81, Rance 48, 58 Romford Team: Conley, Gilbey, Pitts, Jones, Nattrass, Cox, Chapman, Guyton, Webb, George, Macarthy. Scorer: Guyton 12, Chapman 30 Wanderers were drawn at away to Metropolitan Police in the Quarter-Finals, with the game set to take place on Saturday 21st February 1931. Click here for memories of that game.

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