Away Days: Wycombe Wanderers

10 November 2023

Stevenage return to Sky Bet League One action as they travel to Adams Park for a clash with Matt Bloomfield’s Wycombe…

Last weekend, The Lamex Stadium played host to a thrilling first-round FA Cup tie as Jamie Reid’s 100^th minute winner wrapped up a 4-3 victory over Tranmere Rovers.

Attention for Steve Evans and his men now lies on league football, with Boro sat in sixth place after sixteen games. Since promotion into League One, Stevenage have continued to defy the odds, especially with a 3-1 victory over former Premier League side Derby County.

This Saturday, the task at hand is to overcome a strong Wycombe Wanderers side, with the clubs meeting in the third tier for the first time in over a decade.

The Opposition

Wycombe Wanderers have had a decent League One campaign so far, with the club in tenth place after six wins, four draws and five losses from 15 games. Their form as of late will be something Stevenage can capitalise on though, with the Chairboys failing to win in their last four league games.

Having said that, Wycombe advanced into the second round of the FA Cup last weekend with a 2-1 win away to League Two Bradford City. It was Killian Phillips to open the scoring for the Chairboys, followed by an own goal to make it two.

The man to look out for in the Wycombe side is midfielder, Luke Leahy, who has featured in the back line in recent weeks. Despite frequently appearing in defence, Leahy is the Chairboys’ top scorer this season with six goals to his name in all competitions alongside 5 assists. The 30-year-old was nominated for League One player of the month for October and has started all of Wycombe’s league games so far this campaign.

Their current gaffer is nothing short of a Wycombe legend. Matt Bloomfield’s playing career ended as recent as February 2022 after making an outstanding 557 appearances with the Chairboys after signing in 2003. As a player, Bloomfield won four promotions with Wycombe; three from League Two and one from League One.

Played for Both

Nick Freeman will be returning to Adams Park this Saturday for the first time since signing from Wycombe in the summer. The Stevenage-born midfielder made 178 appearances in a Wycombe shirt, including seven in the Championship.

32 other players have appeared for both Wycombe and Stevenage over the years. Darius Charles was a popular figure at The Lamex Stadium throughout his time at Stevenage, playing a big part in the 2010/11 League Two promotion campaign.

It was Charles’ pass to John Mousinho, who also featured for Wycombe, that resulted in the only goal in the 2011 League Two play-off final. Charles played 43 games for the Chairboys later in his career.

Dannie Bulman made over 200 appearances for Wycombe before signing for Stevenage in 2004, and from last season’s promotion-winning side, both Daryl Horgan and Adam Przybek had previously played for Wycombe.

The Stadium

Adams Park has been the home of Wycombe Wanderers since it opened in 1990. The ground has a licenced capacity of approx. 9,448, with a record attendance of 10,000 being set in a pre-season friendly with Chelsea in 2005. Stevenage supporters will be able to purchase and collect tickets from Ticket Office 1 on the day of the game.

Officials

Benjamin Speedie has been appointed match referee for Saturday’s match, with Ryan Whitaker and Stephen Brown as his assistants, and Alan Cresswell as fourth official. Speedie has handed out 29 yellow cards and three reds so far this season.

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Match Reports

Report: Wycombe 0-1 Stevenage

11 November 2023

Jamie Reid's first-half strike is the difference maker as Stevenage take home an important three points...

After last weekend’s dramatic FA Cup victory over Tranmere Rovers, Stevenage returned to League One action with a short trip to Adams Park to face Wycombe Wanderers.

The gaffer made three changes from that FA Cup triumph, with Luther James-Wildin, Finley Burns and Kane Hemmings returning to the starting eleven. Nick Freeman made a return to Adams Park in the starting eleven after his seven-year spell with the hosts.

After an impeccably observed period of silence on Remembrance Day, the game kicked off on a cool November afternoon.

Very little action occurred in the early stages of the game with Wycombe’s Ryan Tafazolli picking up a knock and receiving treatment, meaning there was a lengthy stoppage of play.

In truth, the first half had very little to write home about as both teams cancelled each other out. Stevenage looked to deliver a number of balls into the box, but none of them paid off.

After the half an hour mark, Wycombe’s Brandon Hanlan was stretchered off resulting in fourteen minutes of additional time to be played.

It was late in that additional time when Stevenage managed to break the deadlock. A long ball forward found Kane Hemmings who brought it down tremendously before squaring it to Jamie Reid who fired home.

Boro then went into the break a goal up after a slow, but successful, first half.

As the second half got underway, Stevenage saw more of the ball in the opposition half as they looked to double their lead. Alex MacDonald saw his effort deflect out for a corner. Then, eight minutes later, Kane Hemmings ran through on goal but was denied by a last-ditch Wycombe tackle.

With over twenty minutes to go, the gaffer made his first change of the afternoon as Nathan Thompson was introduced in place of Finley Burns as Terence Vancooten stepped into midfield.

Wycombe looked to equalise shortly after as David Wheeler sent a low ball into the box, but Taye Ashby-Hammond was quick to get down and collect.

Late in the game, there was another lengthy stoppage in play as Luke Leahy required treatment and a stretcher in what appeared to be a concerning incident. The clock approached ninety with the player still down.

The stoppage continued into added time, with the referee having a decision to make regarding the continuation of the game. Eventually, Leahy was stretchered off, the referee spoke to both captains, and the game resumed with fourteen minutes of added time to play.

Stevenage did their job perfectly in additional time to see out the victory. Two subs were made as Jake Forster-Caskey and Aaron Pressley were introduced in place of Alex MacDonald and Kane Hemmings before the referee blew his final whistle.

It was game with many stoppages, but ultimately Stevenage deservedly came out on top after a rather professional performance.

Attendance: 4,936 inc. 596 away supporters.

Ticket News

Tickets & Travel: Wycombe Wanderers

9 November 2023

Match tickets are on sale for Boro’s Sky Bet League One fixture at Adams Park vs Wycombe Wanderers…

Kicking off at 3pm on Saturday 11th November, Stevenage make the 93-mile round trip to take on Matt Bloomfield's Chairboys.

Match tickets are available online at www.borotickets.co.uk and from the Stevenage FC Club Shop (open Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays 10am-5pm).

Please note, Adams Park is a cashless stadium.

Disabled supporters are charged at the full price for their age category and are entitled to bring a carer free of charge.

Match tickets can also be purchased and collected from from Ticket Office 1 at Adams Park on the day of the game.

Travel by Coach

The Stevenage FC Supporters Association coach will be departing The Lamex Stadium at midday on the day of the game, so please ensure to arrive with time to spare in order to confirm a scheduled departure. Tickets cost £20 for SA members and £25 for non-members.

To book a seat, visit www.sfcsa.co.uk/home/travel and book online.

Travel by Train

Purchase your train ticket to Wycombe at www.nationalrail.co.uk and keep up-to-date with latest travel info by following @nationalrailenq.

For more travel information to Adams Park, click here.

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