LATEST NEWS
MATCH REPORTS
ARCHIVE INDEX
HOME
April 2019 News Archive
All the news stories from April 2019
WANDERERS 99% SAFE
(Saturday 27th April 2019)
This was the situation at the bottom of League One as Wycombe headed into the final game of the season, home to Fleetwod Town on Saturday 5th May 2019. Despite the loss at Wimbledon on Saturday (27th April 2019), Wanderers are virtually safe from relegation from League One for another season. Fellow strugglers Scunthorpe, Plymouth and Southend all lost their crucial games. Scunthorpe lost 3-2 at home to already relegated Bradford City and were 3-0 down after just 15 minutes. Plymouth's woeful form under Derek Adams continued with a 5-1 defeat at Accrington Stanley. Manager Adams and any of his coaching and playing staff also refused to give any post-match press interviews and will be in breach of Football League regulations. Wycombe's vastly superior goal-difference to Argyle means the West Country side will only leap frog Gareth Ainsworth's side if Wanderers lose at home to Fleetwood on the final day of the season AND Plymouth beat Scunthorpe AND make up a 12 goal deficit in the Goal Difference column. Barring any ridculous goal swings, three from Scunthorpe, Walsall, Plymouth, Southend and Wimbledon will be relegated.
WIMBLEDON 2 WYCOMBE 1
(Saturday 27th April 2019)
Wanderers went down 2-1 at Wimbledon but were still left virtually safe from the drop to 'League Two' after fellow strugglers Scunthorpe, Plymouth and Southend all lost their crucial games. Wycombe's far superior goal difference over Plymouth means that even defeat at home to Fleetwood on the final day of the season will see Gareth Ainsworth's side safe.
Team news for the game at Kingsmead saw one change from the Wycombe starting XI that had beaten Walsall 1-0 at Adams Park on Easter Monday - Anthony Stewart coming in for Sido Jombati who missed out with a broken foot.
A sell-out crowd of 4,850 (with around 800 from Wycombe) saw a dramtic start to proceedings when Ryan Allsop rushed out of his goal to clatter James Hanson and concede a penalty after just 8 minutes. But there was a reprieve for Wanderers when Allsop (after a lengthy delay for treatment) dived to his left to save the resulting spot-kick from Joe Pigott, before the rebound was scrambled away. Wycombe then went close through an Adam El-Abd header on 22 minutes, while four minutes later Jason McCarthy's curling free-kick was parried away by Aaron Ramsdale in the home goal.
Victory for Wycombe would have guaranteed safety but the home side were desperate too and they broke the deadlock against the run of play on 38 minutes when a corner from the right was floated to the far post where Piggot headed home. It was kick in the teeth for Wanderers but they responded after the break when Alex Samuel tucked the ball home at the near post from Jason McCarthy's cross from the right. Moments later Samuel came within inches of putting Wycombe ahead - sending a close-range header against the cross-bar as the home side started to wobble.
But it was The Dons who grabbed a crucial winner on 53 minutes when a low ball in from the left was scrabbled home from inside the six-yard box by Piggot. News of scorelines elsewhere seemed to take the edge off the closing stages from a Wanderers point of view and while the home side were celebrating victory at the end and potential survival themselves, Wycombe were mighty relieved too and can now start to relax going into the final day of a topsy-turvey campaign.
Final Score: Wimbledon 2 Wycombe 1
WIMBLEDON AWAY LIVE RELAY TO AP
(Thursday 25th April 2019)
The Club confirmed on Thursday (25th April 2019) they had arranged for a live transmission of the crucial League game at Wimbledon to be shown at Adams Park. The press release read: "The club received huge demand for tickets, with the full allocation [of 800] selling out within minutes of reaching general sale on Monday, and have successfully secured the beamback facility following discussions with [The Football League and Wimbledon]." The transmission will use the feed provided by the iFollow service and will be shown in the Caledonian Suite (formerly the Vere Suite at Adams Park]. Entry will cost £10 for adults and £5 for juniors aged 18 and under. Doors will open from 1pm, with the bar open and the food counter serving pie and chips.
20 YEAR MAINE ROAD RETRO
(Wednesday 24th April 2019)
While Wanderers followers prepared for Saturday's 'big' game at Wimbledon, it was twenty years previous that expectations were high for a visit to Maine Road to play Manchester City in a League game. On that day anything less than a victory would have pushed Wanderers close to relegation to bottom tier of the Football League. A remarkable day ended with Wanderers completing a famous League double over City and with the two sides never meeting since, a unique 100% League success rate for Wycombe Wanderers over the now multi-millionaire funded Premiership giants.
Man City 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2 - Rewind to April 1999
FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
(Tuesday 23rd April 2019)
This was the situation at the bottom of League One as Wycombe headed into the penultimate game of the season, away to Wimbledon on Saturday 27th April 2019.
WYCOMBE 1 WALSALL 0
(Monday 22nd April 2019)
Jason McCarthy's delightful up and over free-kick in the 54th minute was enough to see off Walsall at Adams Park and put Wanderers on the verge of League One safety. Earlier in the game the nerves seem to kick-in when Adebayo Akinfenwa could only shoot straight at Saddlers 'keeper Chris Dunn. But McCarthy's wonder strike was reward for Wycombe's perseverance and the scenes at the final whistle were the expected mixture of relief and contained celebration of a job almost completed.
Team news saw Gareth Ainsworth keep faith with the same starting XI for the fourth game running. Elsewhere, Nathan Tyson returned on the bench following a spell out injured. Former Wanderers loanee Dan Scarr was included in the Walsall starting XI.
The nailbiting victory over Walsall was the first for Wanderers over the Saddlers since Octover 2000 (ten games) and took Gareth Ainsworth's side to the 50 point mark for the season - four points clear of the relegation zone with two games remaining (Wimbledon away and Fleetwood at home). With so many teams in the relegation zone playing each other and Wanderers' goal difference superior to the chasing sides, a single point from the remaining two games would most likely see Wycombe mathmetically safe. However, eyes will also be on the two 'League One' games on Tuesday (23rd April 2019), when Accrington travel to Doncaster and Wimbledon travel to Luton. in order to make the relegation picture clearer.
Final Score: Wycombe 1 Walsall 0
ROCHDALE 1 WYCOMBE 0
(Friday 19th April 2019)
Wanderers were left rueing missed chances as they went down 1-0 at fellow relegation battlers Rochdale - Ian Henderson scrambled goal 79th strike the difference between the two sides. Scott Kashket and Alex Samuel both spurned gilt edged chances each side of the break on a bobbly surface at sunny Spotlands before the home converted one of their sights of goal.
An unchanged Wycombe side for the third game running had by far the better of the opening 45 minutes. Kashket's golden chance came on 15 minutes when he was one-on-one with the 'keeper but shot straight at him. The home side blasted a chance over in the first-half stoppage time but 12 minutes into the second-period Samuel looked odds on to break the deadlock when he broke down the left channel, went past the 'keeper but took a fraction too long to shoot and saw his angled shot cleared off the line. The winner came when the home side broke down the left wing. Ryan Allsop saved the initial shot but the loose ball was eventually fired home after a follow-up shot had come down off the underside of the crossbar.
Defeat at Rochdale saw Wanderers drop to 18th place in the table - 2 points above the relegation places with three games left to play. Only a stoppage time equaliser for Walsall at home to Southend prevented Wycombe dropping deeper into relegation trouble. Plymouth Argyle's second-half collapse to Gillingham also helped masked the degree of Wycombe's plight to remain in the division - The Pilgrims losing 3-1 to The Gills - and thus remaining below Wanderers in the table Easter Monday's home game with Walsall now appears critical to Wycombe's survival hopes. Victory for Wanderers could potentially guarantee safety for the season - a draw would not be a disaster. Failure is not an option - goes the saying.
Final Score: Rochdale 1 Wycombe 0
SOUTHEND 0 WYCOMBE 2
(Saturday 13th April 2019)
Two second-half goals in the space of three minutes by Adebayo Akinfenwa saw Wanderers win for the first time in 12 games - the 2-0 victory at Southend United sending huge waves of relief through the Wycombe camp. Against a team on an even longer winless run that Wanderers, defeat was not on the agenda and after a relatively even first-half, it was Akinfenwa who broke the deadlock on 69 minutes when Nick Freeman's run down the left channel set up Scott Kashket to cross the ball from the bye-line for the big man to skillfully direct back into the net from the far corner of the six-yard box. Three minutes later Akinfenwa looped a header back into the far corner of the net to make it 2-0 following Michael Harriman's long delivery into the box from the right of midfield. The 770 plus Wycombe fans directly behind in the away end had every right to celebrate this on a same level as winning promotion.
Team news at Root Hall had seen Gareth Ainsworth stick with the same starting XI that had run Charlton Athletic close the previous Tuesday. On the bench, Matt Bloomfield returned in place of non-contract stand-in Ben Frempah. The Manager's faith in his selection paid off and he was delighted after the game, saying: “We’ve won that with work ethic and togetherness, on and off the pitch. We knew that was coming. I’ve always said we’ve been performing well, and today we got what we deserved. We’re nowhere near safe yet - it’s been a tough couple of months. But thank you for your support. The fans, the board, the players, the staff - they’ve all been right behind me and it means so much."
The first win since the middle of January moved Wanderers up to 17th spot and opened a three point margin to the relegation zone ahead of the trip to Rochdale on Good Friday. Wycombe leaped frogged Rochdale after the win at Southend, coupled with Dale's 4-1 loss at Portsmouth. Wycombe then entertain Walsall at Adams Park on Easter Monday.
Final Score: Southend 0 Wycombe 2
LUBY AND COLLIS END TALKS
(Thursday 11th April 2019)
It was revealed on Thursday (11th April 2019) that Wycombe Wanderers Trust discussions with Bill Luby and Jim Collis regarding potential investment into the Football Club came to an end. A lengthy email to members said: “This news has come out of the blue for us, but we respect the position of Bill and Jim and appreciate their honesty and above all, their desire to see the best possible outcome for the club." The statement added: "They now feel that they may not be able to devote as much time to the club as they had originally envisaged, and have taken the decision to withdraw their offer."
Regarding the loan already in place from Luby and Collis, the pair said: "Our loan to the club provided the working capital required to operate this season. We would have never made this loan if we weren’t fully intending to complete our investment. We know that the club doesn’t currently have the capital to repay us. We have therefore offered to move the maturity of the loan to the end of 2019 and have deferred 100% of the interest until that date."
Read full statement at wycombewandererstrust.com
SEASON TICKET INFO 2019/20
(Thursday 11th April 2019)
The Club confirmed on Thursday (11th April 2019) an extension to the 'early bird' discount window for season tickets until the end of the season. Season tickets purchased before midnight on 4th May will qualify for the ‘early bird’ discount - equivalent to seven free games. Existing season ticket holders’ seats will also be held until this date, before being released for general sale from May 7th onwards when the standard price kicks in (equivalent to to five free games.
Season Ticket information and price archive from chairboys.co.uk
WYCOMBE 0 CHARLTON 1
(Tuesday 9th April 2019)
Wanderers suffered a 5th straight league defeat as they fell to a solitary first-half strike from Jason Pearce to lose 1-0 at home to in-form Charlton Athletic. Now winless in 12 games, Gareth Ainsworth's side battled for an equaliser and Adebayo Akinfenwa, Scott Kashket and Adam El-Abd all had decent chances to level the scores in the second-period.
Team news ahead of Wanderers 12th game without a League win saw four changes to the starting XI that lost at home to Portsmouth the previous Saturday - Sido Jombati, Curtis Thompson, Akinfenwa and Kashket coming in, while Anthony Stewart, Matt Bloomfield (injured), Paris Cowan-Hall and Marcus Bean were left out. Ben Frempah was included on the bench and introduced as a late substitute for his Wanderers debut having recently been signed on a non-contract basis.
The result shifted Wanderers down to one place and one point above the relegation zone with five games remaining. Rochdale's victory at Accrington lifted them out the relegation and above the Wanderers. Wycombe visit 21st placed Southend on Saturday (13th April 2019) with the knowledge that the result will have a crucial bearing on survival hopes for the season.
Final Score: Wycombe 0 Charlton 1
TRUST INVESTMENT UPDATE
(Sunday 7th April 2019)
The rapidly evolving farce surrounding the latest investment plans for the Football Club took on another level of confusion after Trust Chairman Trevor Stroud confirmed to members via email that the planned visit of Bill Luby and Jim Collis for a meeting on Wednesday 10th April 2019 had been cancelled. Stroud added: "I am sure you will feel as frustrated as I do at this further delay in the voting process, and I will advise as soon as possible of the revised date. I have called a Trust board meeting for Wednesday evening and a further update will be issued on Thursday (11th April 2019). Please accept my apologies and I will ensure you are kept up to speed with developments."
WYCOMBE 2 PORSTMOUTH 3
(Saturday 6th April 2019)
Wanderers were dragged to within a point of the relegation zone after they were edged out 3-2 at home to Portsmouth in a frenzied match at Adams Park. The visitors looked to have blown Wanderers after leading 2-0 within a minute of the start of the second-period but a Marcus Bean strike on 54 minutes gave the home faithful hope. Brett Pitman restored Pompey's two goal cushion on the hour mark with a sweetly struck free-kick before Scott Kashket's 82nd goal set-up an exciting finish where Wycombe came just short of securing a precious point - a stoppage time claim for a penalty falling on deaf ears as the referee blew for full-time.
Team news saw Gareth Ainsworth make four changes to the starting XI that had lost in stoppage time the previous Saturday at Oxford United - Ryan Allsop returned in goal for Yves Ma-Kalamby, while Michael Harriman, Matt Bloomfield and Paris Cowan-Hall were the other fresh legs, coming in for Joe Jacobson, Curtis Thompson and Adebayo Akinfenwa.
Defeat to Portsmouth extended Wanderers' winless in the League to 11 games and left them in 19th spot in the table - now just a single point above the relegation zone. Wanderers' situation could have been worse if not for late goals in other matches involving the relegation threatened sides. Southend, the only team on a longer winless run than Wycombe, were leading at Fleetwood Town with six minutes of normal time remaining but conceeded a penalty to eventually draw 2-2. Rochdale also remained in the bottom four but took a surprise 28th minute lead at home to Sunderland before conceeding an equaliser on 56 minutes and then an 89th minute to lose 2-1. Walsall were leading at home to Oxford United but eventually lost 3-1 to also remain in the bottom four. Form team Wimbledon drew 1-1 at home to Accrington. Wycombe host 5th place Charlton Athletic on Tuesday (9th April 2019). A win could potentially lift Gareth Ainsworth's side to 15th in the table.
Final Score: Wycombe 2 Portsmouth 3

Previous month ||| Latest news from chairboys.co.uk
chairboys.co.uk
News Archive
2018/2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
chairboys.co.uk
News Archive
2017/2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
chairboys.co.uk
News Archive
2016/2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
chairboys.co.uk
News Archive
2015/2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
chairboys.co.uk
News Archive
back to Dec 1995
Archive Index

Chairboys on the Net All there is to say and know about Wycombe Wanderers on the Internet