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1993-1994-RESULTS, SCORERS, ATTENDANCES - MORE REPORTS 1993-1994 RETRO INDEX
Wycombe Wanderers 2
Lincoln City 3
Saturday 16th October 1993
Football League Division Three

Wycombe v Lincoln programme - 16th October 1993 Wanderers fell to their second League defeat of the 1993/94 campaign as Keith Scott missed a penalty against former Club Lincoln City. Wycombe had got off to a flyer with Dave Carroll's goal on 4 minutes but then contrived to concede three times before the break to trail 3-1. Scott pulled his penalty wide just moments in the second period and although Steve Thompson did eventually pull a goal back on 77 minutes, the visitors held on for the points.
Wanderers defeat to Lincoln came on the same day that rivals Colchester United were hammered 5-0 at Hereford after having two goalkeepers sent off for 'professional fouls'. Wycombe remained fourth in the table despite the defeat, with Crewe heading the table with 24 points from their opening 11 games - 5 points ahead of Wycombe. Preston and Rochdale occupied the 2nd and 3rd spots.
Meanwhile it was confirmed that Terry Evans had signed for Wycombe for an initial fee of £20,000 from Brentford. Wycombe would pay The Bees a further £10,000 if he made 40 appearances and another £10,000 if the central defender made it to 70 appearances within two and a half years. Martin O' commented "I am pleased to have signed Terry. I think he is very important to our set up. Considering his pedigree I think the fee is very favourable. If he plays those 70 games within two and a half years, he will have done very well for us."
Wycombe: Hyde, Crossley, Horton (sub 69 Hayrettin). Kerr, Evans, Ryan, Carroll, Thompson, Hemmings (sub 64 Hutchinson), Scott, Guppy - sub unused: Moussaddik (GK)
Scorers: Carroll 4, Thompson 77
Bookings: Horton 58 (foul)
Lincoln: Pollitt, P Smith, Flitcroft, West, Brown, Carbon, M Smith, Baraclough, Matthews, Johnson (sub 77 Jones), Puttnam - sub unused: Hill
Scorers: West 23, Baraclough 40, Johnson 42
Bookings: Brown 33 (kicking the ball away)
Referee: Mr A Smith Attendance: 5,623
What the papers said:
Bucks Free Press - Claire Nash reporting from Adams Park:
Wycombe's Steve Thompson takes a shot against Lincoln - 16th October 1993 - photo Chris Berry from Bucks Free PressWanderers were reshuffled due to Jason Cousins' suspension, with Keith Scott missed a penalty against his old club as Martin O'Neill rapped his players for handing victory to Lincoln on a plate on Saturday. Manager O'Neill even doubted that Scott would score his second-half spotkick as he thought the striker was put off by City fans' taunts of 'Lincoln reject'. "I did not fancy him for the penalty," he said after the match.
At first glance, Scott's penalty miss was the major if only factor in Wycombe's failure to salvage a point at Adams Park. Blues were 3-1 down at the time. But O'Neill laid the blame squarely at every player's door. "It was one of a number of crucial points. We had other good opportunities to score. We suffered because players were not performing in their departments properly. We lacked concentration," he said.
Scott, Wycombe's designated penalty taker, admitted: "If I had scored, it would have been a different game. It was disappointing, especially against this lot. I don't think I was affected. I think I had a fair game overall." Blues had squandered a 1-0 lead to stare down the barrel of defeat by half time. "We started like a house on fire. Then we spent the next 25 minutes going to sleep. We are a goal up, but by half time we are 3-1· down," said O'Neill. "When they equalised, instead of being more resolute we just crumbled."
Wycombe, showing a tendency to excel when their backs are against the wall, picked up their momentum impressively, once Scott's opportunity went begging. Steve Thompson scored in the 77th minute after a goalmouth scramble to set up a thrilling finale. But earlier Keith Alexander's men had forced Wycombe to face the harsher realities of life in the Football League. They pounced as soon as Wanderers took their foot off the accelerator.
Blues' players had indeed started as if their very lives depended on it. O'Neill radically swapped wingers Steve Guppy and Tony Hemmings round at the start, after previously maintaining that the latter has no chance of taking Guppy's left-flank spot. But the tactic paid off immediately with Guppy running riot down the right with good service from Scott and Thompson.
Dave Carroll scored in the fourth minute when he tucked away a rebound from Thompson's shot. Scott followed up by forcing Lincoln keeper Mike Pollitt into a fine save with his testing 13th-minute header from Carroll's whipped-in cross.
But City's strong physical long-passing style began to exploit Blues' lapses with burly trio Neil Matthews, David Johnson and David Puttnam threatening to over-run a leaky defence. Lincoln equalised through Dean West's header from Johnson's inswinging cross in the 23rd minute. Within 20 minutes they were 3-1 up.
Blues keeper Paul Hyde conceded a penalty, but stayed on the pitch, for his challenge on Ian Baraclough when the Lincoln midfielder bore down on goal. Baraclough converted the resuTting penalty. Two minutes later Matthews displayed a skilful finish after being put through by Johnson, a recent £32,000 signing from Sheffield Wednesday.
Wycombe's rescue bid looked on course within seconds of the restart when referee Arthur Smith pointed to the spot after Puttnam was penalised for handball, while under pressure from Thompson. But Scott woefully blasted his penalty the wrong side of the far post. Wycombe ran Lincoln ragged for the remainder of the half, looking the more potent force once substitutes Hakan Hayrettin and Simon Hutchinson replaced Duncan Horton and Hemmings, with Guppy resuming his left-wing role. Hayrettin provided Thompson with the opening to score from close range, after Pollitt failed to gather his brave diving header. Guppy curled a 30-yard free kick against the bar. But too much damage had already been done, leaving Blues choking on defeat, albeit only their second League loss of the season.
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