Wycombe Wanderers travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday for an FA Cup first-round replay after the two sides drew 4-4 in the original game at Adams Park.
The prize for Wednesday’s winners is a home tie against Blue Square Premier side Rushden & Diamonds and a great opportunity to progress to the potentially lucrative third round, in which the big boys of English football join the competition.
When the sides first met at Adams Park ten days ago, it was a cup-clash between two League-One strugglers who were both in the relegation zone and desperately short of confidence.
Brighton were without a manager and had only won once in seven games during October, while the Chairboys were rooted to the bottom of the table and hadn’t managed a win since August.
It was an unappealing tie on paper, and only 2,749 fans showed up to witness what turned out to be a cup thriller with eight goals, three penalties and two sendings-off.
Since then, both sides have played one league game in front of the Sky cameras, but with starkly contrasting results.
Brighton appointed Gus Poyet as their new manager and reaped an immediate reward when they travelled to Southampton on Sunday and upset the form book with a 3-1 win which took them out of the relegation zone and rekindled confidence in their players and optimism among their supporters.
Wycombe on the other hand, were soundly thrashed 6-0 by a Huddersfield Town side who mercilessly exposed their defensive frailties, further destroying the players’ fragile confidence and plunging an already weary support into an even deeper depression.
Looking at it logically, with Brighton on a high and enjoying home advantage, while Wycombe lick their wounds after Saturday’s mauling, it’s difficult to see anything other than a win for the Seagulls on Wednesday.
But this is the FA Cup, a competition which is renowned for surprises, and in Gary Waddock Wycombe have an ambitious young manager who is currently far from happy and has promised to wield the axe after Saturday’s capitulation.
“I have asked the players how many of them expect to play on Wednesday and told them not to come knocking on my door if they are not in the team,” thundered Waddock, who also said: “The honeymoon period is over,..our season starts here, that’s fighting talk and I want to see that in my players. I want them to fight, to scrap and to battle…It’s time to make decisions. Players will like it if they’re involved, players won’t like it if they’re not.”
Win or lose, Wycombe fans will expect their players to show a similar fighting spirit on Wednesday.
Brighton’s last five games
LG1: Tranmere (A)……….Lost 2-1
LG1: Oldham (H)………….Lost 2-0
LG1: Hartlepool (H)……..Drew 3-3
FAC: Wycombe (A)……..Drew 4-4
LG1: Southampton (A)…..Won 3-1
Wycombe’s last five games
LG1: Colchester (H) ……Drew 1-1
LG1: Exeter (A)………….Drew 1-1
LG1: Walsall (H)…………..Lost 3-2
FAC: Brighton (H)……….Drew 4-4
LG1: Huddersfield (A)……Lost 6-0
Brighton Goal Stats (All Competitions)
Goals Scored (Total)………25
Goals Conceded (Total)…..36
Goals Scored (Home)……..10
Goals Conceded (Home)….14
Clean Sheets….4
Wycombe Goals Stats (All Competitions)
Goals Scored (Total)………21
Goals Conceded (Total)…..41
Goals Scored (Away)………..9
Goals Conceded (Away)…..21
Clean Sheets….0
Brighton’s Top Goal Scorers (All Competitions)
Striker: Nicky Forster……….10
Striker: Liam Dickinson………4
Glenn Murray…………………..3
Elliott Bennett…………………..2
Three other Brighton players have each scored 1 goal.
Wycombe’s Top Goal Scorers (All Competitions)
Striker: Jon-Paul Pittman…..6
Striker: Matt Harrold………..5
Midfielder: Scott Davies…….3
Midfielder: Chris Zebroski….2
Five other Wycombe players have each scored 1 goal.
Brighton Shooting (Top-3)
Nicky Forster……….19 on-target….15 off-target…..0 against woodwork
Liam Dickinson………9 on-target….14 off-target…..1 against woodwork
Dean Cox…………….6 on-target….11 off-target…..0 against woodwork
Wycombe Shooting (Top-3)
Jon-Paul Pittman…..14 on-target…..9 off-target….0 against woodwork
Chris Zebroski……..13 on-target…..7 off-target….0 against woodwork
Scott Davies…………9 on-target….11 off-target….2 against woodwork
Shooting (Club)
Brighton……….81 on target…82 off target…7 against woodwork
Wycombe……..87 on target…73 off target…3 against woodwork
Current Form (All Competitions)
Last Five Games
Brighton:……..LLDDW
Wycombe:……DDLDL
Last Five Home Games
Brighton:……..LLWLD
Last Five Away Games
Wycombe:……DDLDL
Altogether the two sides have met on 13 occasions with 1 win for Wycombe, 7 for Brighton and 5 draws.
In Brighton there have been 5 wins for the Seagulls, 1 for Wycombe and 1 draw.
Previous Meetings in Brighton
1994/95 LCp: Brighton 2 Wycombe 1
1994/95 LG1: Brighton 1 Wycombe 1
1995/96 LG1: Brighton 1 Wycombe 2
2001/02 FLT:: Brighton 2 Wycombe 1
2001/02 LG1: Brighton 4 Wycombe 0
2003/04 LG1: Brighton 4 Wycombe 0
2009/10 LG1: Brighton 1 Wycombe 0
The Man In The Middle
Wednesday’s referee is Andy D’Urso from Essex who has been a National List referee since 1994, spent 7 years as a Select Group referee and was also a FIFA referee for 4 years. His last Wycombe game was a 1-0 home win over Bradford City in November 2008.
Prediction
Home Win
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