Adams Park Monday 26th December 2022
Wycombe Wanderers 2
Wheeler (22), Wing (48)
Bristol Rovers 1
Coburn (4)
Referee: Sunny Gill Attendance: 6,664
A Boxing Day clash against Wycombe saw manager Joe Barton again make two changes and they were the fairly obvious ones, really.
How could he not leave out the two substitutes, Luca Hoole and John Marquis, who served him so well at Charlton last time out? They duly took their place in the starting lineup in place of Lewis Gordon and Luke McCormick as the manager opted to start with a back four. Wycombe, meanwhile, left their two former Gas men, Joe Jacobson and Brandon Hanlan, on the bench.
Marquis justified his inclusion inside four minutes when he found Antony Evans. He, in turn, found Aaron Collins scampering down the right and his low cross was hammered into the net from close range by Josh Coburn.
Four minutes later central defender Bobby Thomas was booked for taking too long to take a free kick. Time wasting after eight minutes is almost unheard of. It’s a pity that referee Sunny Gill wasn’t as strict after the break, as we shall see!
Barton’s side were majestic for the next quarter of an hour and should really have put the game to bed in that time. Marquis should, perhaps, have scored, a Collins effort was blocked by a panicking home defence and Coburn fired wide when well placed.
Twenty two minutes in Rovers handed Wycombe a lifeline when they were caught out down the right after Gareth McCleary picked out the impressive Anis Mehmeti. His ball into the box saw David Wheeler get in front of his marker and hammer a shot into the roof of the net.
The game became a more even contest following the equaliser, though Rovers were denied a penalty when Marquis appeared to have been upended by goalkeeper Max Stryiek while the home side went close through McCleary and Lewis Wing.
All square at the break, Wycombe took just three minutes of the second half to take the lead. Mehmeti saw his effort blocked and failure to clear the loose ball cost Rovers dearly. When the ball arrived at Wing’s feet he rifled a shot towards goal and although it wasn’t clear from my vantage point, the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line.
Cue timewasting tactics from the home side almost immediately. There had been warnings, beforehand, that once they were ahead they were difficult to beat and this performance showed why.
Time wasting at every opportunity broke up the rhythm and flow of the game and Rovers never looked capable of reaching the same level of performance they had in the opening twenty minutes.
Lengthy delays ensued, at every throw in, free kick and goal kick and the only surprise was that four or five Wycombe players didn’t receive yellow cards, especially after the first half booking for Thomas for a similar indiscretion.
Goalkeeper Stryiek also joined in, twice going down in his area as though shot by a sniper in the stand. Amazingly he recovered sufficiently each time to punt the ball downfield in spite of a so called leg injury.
It might not be pretty to watch, but Wycombe’s ‘gamesmanship’ keeps earning them points!
Wycombe Wanderers: Stryiek, McCarthy, Grimmer, Tafazolli, Obita, Wing (Thompson, 78), Scowen, Wheeler, Mehmeti (Freeman, 85), McCleary (Hanlan (90+3), Vokes.
Substitutes: Jacobson, Forino, Dickinson, Kaikai.
Bristol Rovers: Belshaw, Hoole, Thomas, Connolly, Gibson (Loft, 82), Evans, Coutts, Sinclair (Finley, 59), Marquis (McCormick, 69), Coburn, Collins.
Substitutes: Gordon, Saunders, Gibbons, Jaakkola.
ALSO
Former Rovers players Joe Jacobson and Brandon Hanlan were in the Wycombe squad. Jacobson started, Hanlan was introduced as a second half substitute
Yellow cards were issued to Bobby Thomas and Lewis Gibson
Paul Coutts was skipper
Three substitutes used
Seven added minutes
(photos courtesy of JMP)
Keith Brookman