Wycombe Wanderers start their season with a trip to Newport County having escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth just three months ago.
A delicious strike from Mansfield’s Colin Daniel and the width of a Bristol crossbar gifted Wycombe a result they needed but had no control over at the Memorial Stadium.
Meanwhile, nearly a thousand travelling fans experienced a day they’ll never forget when the Chairboys won 3-0 at sunny Plainmoor to keep their part of the bargain and spark some epic scenes of relief and delight.
It really was a wonderful day.
They say you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone. Well, we may not have lost our league status in the end, but the shock of coming so close will hopefully ensure it never happens again.
As Blues’ boss Gareth Ainsworth said in an interview earlier today: “We have to remember the bad times and make sure we never go there again.”
One of the great things about football is that every season is a clean slate. Optimism returns and fans look forward to seeing their new signings in action.
Ainsworth has certainly made a lot of changes as he aimed for a more streamlined squad with the emphasis on quality over quantity.
The spine of the side has been strengthened with the acquisition of Aaron Pierre at the back, Peter Murphy in central-midfield and Paul Hayes up-front.
The troublesome full-back positions will be taken by newcomers, Sido Jombati on the right and Joe Jacobson on the left.
Versatile defender Daniel Rowe returns on a three month loan along with his Rotherham team-mate Nicky Walker who can play on either wing and also has an eye for goal.
Completing the line-up of newcomers are Samsung competition winner Nathan Evans and young goalkeeper Alex Lynch. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see both players loaned out to gain experience.
Tommy Fletcher has already been loaned-out this week, and youngsters Charlie Horlock and Junior Morias are also candidates to be farmed out for development, leaving Wycombe with a squad of only seventeen – not counting Ainsworth himself and goalkeeping coach Barry Richardson who are both registered in case of emergencies!
The Wycombe boss is on record as saying he would like a few more.
With such a slim squad it’s no surprise that Ainsworth looked for versatility when choosing his new signings. He also looked for height, and in both cases he succeeded.
The versatility comes from players like Jombati who can play anywhere across the back four. Murphy, who is comfortable in midfield, at right-back or centre-half, Pierre and Rowe who can play full-back or centre-half, and Walker who is two footed and happy on either wing.
You can also expect to see the Blues looking more dangerous at set-pieces, and defending them better as well – with most of the newcomers measuring-in at 6ft or more.
It looks as though Josh Scowen will definitely miss Saturday’s game with an ankle injury and Stuart Lewis is also a doubt.
If so, I would expect the Blues to line up as follows…
Ingram
Jombati – Doherty – Pierre – Jacobson
Cowan-Hall – Murphy – (Bloomfield or Kretzschmar) – Wood
McClure – Hayes
The final rallying cry comes from Ainsworth, who said…
“Stick with us. I’ve always said, without the bad times, the good times are never as good, and we’ve had a lot of bad times, especially last season.”
“I’m sure the good times are just round the corner, it’s a slowly building process with a lot of new names. I’m excited to work with them, there’s a lot of changes at the club this year – I’m ready for it and I’m sure the players are too.”
Here’s Dale Jenkins with a look at our opponents on Saturday….
Newport County are beginning their second consecutive season in the fourth tier after a 14th place finish in 2013-14.
The Exiles have signed four new players during the summer. Highly rated midfielder Yan Klukowski has signed from Forest Green, centre half Darren Jones re-joined from AFC Wimbledon, midfielder Mark Byrne signed following his release from Barnet and defender Kevin Feely has agreed a permanent move to the club following a successful loan spell last season.
They missed out on re-signing defender Darcy Blake and also released Ryan Burge. Full back David Pipe and central defender Harry Worley have also left the South Wales outfit.
County registered an impressive 3-0 win against a West Ham development squad last weekend courtesy of goals from Klukowski, Zebroski and Rene Howe.
Justin Edinburgh will be able to call on defensive duo Aaron O`Connor and Ismail Yakubu after missing the pair during last season`s run in through injury. Ex-Wycombe left back Andy Sandell has been named Newport`s club captain for the forthcoming season.
Last season they did the double over the Chairboys. A solitary Ryan Flynn strike at Adams Park was enough for all three points on Boxing Day, while goals from Christian Jolley and Chris Zebroski earned the Exiles a fully deserved 2-0 win in South Wales four months ago.
Here’s a look at how the two sides fared last season…..
Newport’s record
Home – W:10 D:6 L:7 – GF:37 GA:27 – Pts:36
Away – W:4 D:10 L:9 – GF:19 GA:32 – Pts:22
Total – W:14 D:16 L:16 – GF:56 GA:59 – Pts:58
Final position: 14th in League Two
Wycombe’s record
Home – W:6 D:6 L:11 – GF:20 GA:27 – Pts:24
Away – W:6 D:8 L:9 – GF:26 GA:27 – Pts:26
Total – W:12 D:14 L:20 – GF:46 GA:54 – Pts:50
Final position: 22nd in League Two
Previous Meetings
1973/74 FAC1.. Wycombe Wanderers 3 Newport County 1
1988/89 GMVC: Wycombe Wanderers 5 Newport County 0 *
1988/89 GMVC: Newport County 3 Wycombe Wanderers 5 *
2013/14 Lg2……Wycombe Wanderers 0 Newport County 1
2013/14 Lg2……Newport County 2 Wycombe Wanderers 0
* County failed to complete their fixtures in the 1988/89 season after going out of business on 27 February 1989 and their results were subsequently expunged.
The Man In The Middle
Saturday’s referee is Peter Bankes from Merseyside who has only taken charge of one Football League match before, a 1-1 draw between Plymouth and the sainted Stags in February. He is also among a select group of assistant referees who work in the Premier League.
Prediction
No idea
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