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Wycombe Wanderers - click here for your Rough Guide to The Chairboys Wycombe Wanderers 3 Birmingham City - click here for City Quick Guide
Birmingham City 4
Tuesday 19th Sep 2000
Worthington Cup - 2nd Round - 1st Leg
Andy Rammell - first goal for Wycombe - picture Paul DennisTrevor Francis' Birmingham City were shaken by a Wycombe comeback that saw goals from Andy Rammell, Andy Baird and Jamie Bates overturn a 3-0 lead for the visitors. Only a late goal by 19 year old Andrew Johnson spared the blushes for the visitors on a semi-waterlogged Adams Park surface.
Referee Steve Bennett inspected the pitch twice before giving the game the go ahead and only an ease in the torrential rain just after 6pm swayed the officials to give the game the nod.
After two minutes that looked a bad decision for Wycombe fans when a comedy of slips and slides in the Wycombe penalty saw Geoff Horsfield claim a goal after Paul McCarthy looked to have turned the ball past Martin Taylor. City extended their lead on 21 minutes when Horsfield sidefooted past Taylor from Ndlovu's left wing cross and three minutes later it was 3-0 when Johnson calmly finished from Horsfield's through ball.
But Wycombe had their chances with McSporran guilty of two misses while the score was still only 1-0. Just three minutes after City had taken the lead McSporran was left in space just left of centre in the penalty area but he angled his shot wide of the far post. Five minutes later 'Jocky' had a better chance but City 'keeper Ian Bennett saved with his feet. Mo Harkin also saw two long range efforts saved and deflected before City grabbed two goals in three minutes. To Wycombe's credit their heads didn't drop and when McCarthy headed wide from Michael Simpson's floated cross in the 43rd minute there was still question marks over City's defence. Wycombe's life line came on the stroke of half-time when Andy Rammell scored his first goal in a Wycombe shirt - a casual 20 yarder catching Ian Bennett flat footed in the City goal and hopefully a sign of things to come from the ex-Walsall player.
Half-time Wycombe 1 Birmingham 3
Wycombe survived a brief spell of City pressure shortly after the break. In the 49th minute Hughes powered through from midfield before crashing his drive against Martin Taylor's right hand upright. Then in the 55th minute Horsefield nearly took advantage of a mix-up in the Wycombe defence and a poor clearance by Taylor - thankfully for Wycombe McCarthy was there to clear the ball off the line.  Trevor Francis took off dangerman Horsfield in the 67th minute and this coupled with the introduction of Andy Baird three minutes later sparked a late Wycombe revival. Baird had been on the pitch less than sixty seconds when he latched onto a Steve Brown flick from the right side to score with his first touch of the evening.
Baird could have scored again five minutes later after McSporran had sprinted in from the right and forcing Bennett to save. The loose ball fell to Baird but the shot went a yard high of the target.
Johnson set up Steve Robinson in the 78th minute but the City player skewed his effort wide. A goal then for City would have killed the tie off but Wycombe had other ideas.
The double substitution of Stewart Castledine and Danny Senda proceeded Wycombe's equalising goal. Casteldine saw a powerful drive deflected wide for a corner on the right with four minutes left on the clock. From the resulting Simpson corner a goalmouth melee ended with Jamie Bates thundering the ball home and then take a diving celebration on the saturated surface.
The goal stunned the City following but they regained a slender lead for next Tuesday's return at St.Andrew's when Martin Grainger's corner from the right was headed in at the near post by Johnson.
At the 3-0 the tie was as good as over but Wycombe had other ideas and the tie is now far from being decided, however, Wycombe will have to do without Andy Rammell who begins his suspension that night.
Final Score Wycombe 3 Birmingham 4
Wycombe: Taylor, Rogers, Vinnicombe, McCarthy, Bates, Bulman (sub 82 Senda), Simpson, Harkin (sub 70 Baird), Brown (sub 82 Castledine), Rammell, McSporran
subs not used: Cousins, Westhead
Yellow Card: McSporran (88)
Birmingham: Bennett, Eaden, Grainger, Purse, Holdsworth, O'Connor, Sonner, Hughes, Ndlovu (sub HT Robinson), Horsfield (sub 67 Adebola), A Johnson
subs not used: Poole, Capaldi, Ciprano
Referee: Steve Bennett Attendance:2,537 (520 City)
Chairboys Stat File
19th Sep 2000

Division Two
Played 8
Won 3
Drew 3
Lost 2
Goals For 7
Goals Against 5
Position 8th

Top Scorers (League)
Steve Brown 3
Andy Baird 2
Dannie Bulman 1
Jermaine McSporran 1
Recent Games
Sat 16th Sep 2000
Division Two

Rotherham 1
Wycombe 0

Tue 12th Sep 2000
Division Two
Wycombe 0
Bristol Rovers 1

Fri
8th Sep 2000
Division Two
Wycombe 3
Oxford 1
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