Wycombe Wanderers are now just one point away from reaching the magic 50-point mark in League Two after claiming a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Rotherham United at Adams Park in midweek.
The Chairboys were looking for a reaction after their dismal display at Rochdale last weekend and they certainly produced one with an impressive opening 25 minutes during which they looked sharp and focused and pinned the visitors back into their own half. Within seven minutes the hosts had taken the lead when Dean Morgan and Matt McClure combined to create a simple tap-in at the far post for the otherwise anonymous Joel Grant.
Sadly the tempo soon dropped and although the slender was taken into the interval, it took just six minutes for the Millers to get back on level terms in the second half. Full-back Liam Ridehalgh was given far too much time and space to cross from the left and Daniel Nardiello had almost a free header up against Sam Wood at the far post. It was a similar story 13 minutes later when the visitors again crossed from the left for an unmarked Nardiello to volley home from six yards.
It was a disappointing spell but the side fought back to snatch a point when Wood swung over a teasing corner for Gary Doherty, who leapt like a salmon to head past visiting goalkeeper Andy Warrington. There were sighs of relief when substitute Kayode Odejayi failed to head home at the far post in injury-time. It was a well earned point for the Blues, who remain in 14th place in the League Two table as a result and take another small step towards guaranteeing their Football League status for another year.
Next up is a visit from Northampton Town, who are currently 4th in the table and are pushing for an automatic promotion place. Memories will still be fresh from our visit to the Sixfields Stadium back in November which was our Football League nadir. The performance was far from the worst in the last twenty years but a 3-1 defeat saw the club hit the bottom of the League Two table for the first time ever. Since then the side has won 11, drawn three and lost six (36 points from a possible 60!).
The Cobblers will be making their dozenth visit to Adams Park at the weekend and both sides will be looking for a fourth victory having recorded a hat-tricks of wins; with the other five games ending in draws. The first meeting saw the shoe fetishists visit the Chair Metropolis in January 1994 as Martin O’Neill’s men pushed for promotion from the third division. Steve Guppy’s first half cross flew past everyone and into the far corner to seal a 1-0 victory. It was one of Steve Brown’s last appearances for the Cobblers before joining the Blues for £70,000.
The teams didn’t meet again for three and a half years and the goal-less draw in August 1997 won’t live long in the memory, although the visitors’ putrid vomit orange change kit certainly won’t be forgotten in a hurry! The meeting in March 1999 was an unmitigated disaster as the Wanderers lost 2-1 in a relegation six-pointer under new boss Lawrie Sanchez. Sean Parrish gave the Cobblers a half-time lead and early in the second half Martin Taylor kept the home side in it when he saved Carlo Corazzin’s penalty with his legs.
Brownie was then sent-off for a second bookable offence but the ten-men levelled shortly afterwards when Andy Baird scored a superb solo goal. A defensive calamity followed with just six minutes remaining when Jason Cousins’ attempted back-pass was seized upon by Corazzin and he lifted the ball over Taylor to score. John Frain was sent-off in injury-time but the visitors claimed three vital points with a 2-1 victory. Wycombe did have the last laugh however as they completed mission impossible at Lincoln City in May whilst Northampton Town were relegated to the Third Division.
Brownie had a far better afternoon in August 2000 when his penalty sealed a 1-0 win and the Blues won again in November 2001 with a brace from striker Andy Rammell sealing a 2-1 victory on a cold Tuesday evening. There was a 1-1 draw in August 2002 with Darren Currie’s free-kick squeezing past visiting goalkeeper Lee Harper before Jamie Forrester levelled for the Cobblers. A crowd of 7,417 saw Scott McGleish’s half-volley seal a 1-0 win for Northampton Town on a balmy Good Friday evening in March 2005.
Another 1-1 draw followed in September of the same year with the game moved to a Friday evening due to England’s 2006 World Cup qualifier against Wales at the Millenium Stadium the following day. Frank Talia spooned David Hunt’s 25-yard strike into his own net on the half hour but defender Mike Williamson rescued a point with a header just before the hour. There was a largely forgettable 3-1 defeat in a F.A. Cup first round tie in November, with midfielder Joe Burnell’s last minute goal providing little consolation.
The last two meetings have both ended in 2-2 draws. The first, in September 2009, was a Football League Trophy first round tie and a brace from striker Jon-Paul Pittman wasn’t enough as Ian Westlake, Ashley Chambers and Leon Johnson all missed in the penalty shoot-out which the Blues lost 3-0! The second, in April 2011, was far more important as Gary Waddock’s men came from behind to rescue a precious point. A Shaun Harrad penalty and a goal from Guillem Bauza saw the Wanderers trail 2-0 at the break but Scott Donnelly pulled one back before Johnson’s late header made it 2-2.
Gareth Ainsworth made just the one change to his starting line-up against Rotherham United in midweek winger Bruno Andrade coming for the injured Anthony Stewart. Gary Doherty made a very welcome return after almost five months out with a back injury as a second half substitute for the injured Dave Winfield. Ainsworth also recalled himself to the bench. Defender Leon Johnson was left out for family reasons but is set to return to the squad this weekend and the player-boss may be tempted to make changes.
There are a trio of doubts ahead of the clash with the Cobblers. Defender Kortney Hause has missed the last two games after injuring his knee in training last week. Defender Dave Winfield had to be substituted during the second half in midweek with a pelvic injury and will be assessed ahead of the game. Striker Matt McClure had to come off midway through the first half with a foot injury although he has since come through an x-ray unscathed and will hope to be fit to continue in attack alongside Morgan.
A quartet of players have been ruled-out for the rest of the season. Defender Anthonty Stewart will undergo surgery today (Thursday) after fracturing his hand. Midfielder Matt Bloomfield is still struggling with a pelvic shear which is preventing him from training whilst defender Danny Foster is recovering from a second operation on his knee. Full-back Grant Basey continues his rehabilitation following surgery on his anterior cruciate ligaments.
Here’s the current list of players availability…
Gary Doherty (Centre Back) – available (scored on his return after recovering from back surgery)
Dave Winfield (Centre Back) – doubtful (substituted with a pelvic injury in midweek and will be assessed ahead of kick-off)
Kortney Hause (Centre Back) – doubtful (missed the last two games with a knee injury suffered in training)
Matt McClure (Attacker) – doubtful (substituted with a foot injury in midweek but an x-ray has come back all-clear)
Anthony Stewart (Centre Back) – ruled-out with a hand injury (will undergo surgery on a fractured hand and won’t play again this season)
Matt Bloomfield (Midfielder) – ruled out with a groin injury (won’t play again this season)
Danny Foster (Right Back) – ruled out with a knee injury (continues his rehabilitation following a second operation and won’t play again this season)
Grant Basey (Left Back) – ruled out with an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury (continues his rehabilitation following surgery and won’t play again this season)
The Chairboys starting eleven could look something like this (4-4-2):
Jordan Archer
Michael Harriman – Charles Dunne – Gary Doherty – Sam Wood
Bruno Andrade – Josh Scowen – Stuart Lewis – Joel Grant
Dean Morgan – Jo Kuffour
Subs: Lee Harrison, Leon Johnson, Marvin McCoy, Gareth Ainsworth, Junior Morais, Dennis Oli, Matt McClure
Northampton Town have endured two tough seasons in League Two, finishing just five points above the drop zone in 2010/11 and only four points clear in 2011/12. The appointment of hoof-ball aficionado Aidy Boothroyd has certainly turned their fortunes around however and they are riding high on the back of an incredible home record, having won eleven of their last 12 games at the ludicrously monikered Sixfields Stadium. Their away form isn’t so good though, winning just two of the last ten games on their travels.
Boothroyd has tended to tinker with his starting line-up in recent weeks and made two changes for the 1-1 draw away at Morecambe in midweek with defenders Lee Collins and John Johnson both handed recalls. Midfielder Lewis Hornby and striker Clive Platt both dropped to the bench. Striker Adebayo Akinfenwa was named on the bench again as he continues to play with a hip problem (which hardly comes as a surprise given his physique!). He has no new injury concerns and is likely to make more changes ahead of the trip to Adams Park.
Defender Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi continues to build up his fitness having returned to training after missing 18 months with a serious cruciate knee ligament injury. Striker Alex Nicholls continues his rehabilitation following surgery on a broken leg but won’t play again until next season. The Cobblers squad includes a couple of ex-Wanderers in midfielder Ben Harding and winger Chris Hackett. The player to watch is Ben Tozer (who will line-up either at right-back or in central midfield). He has a prestigious long throw which forms the basis of Boothroyd’s entire tactical plan.
Northampton Town lined-up as follows last time out: (4-4-2):
Lee Nicholls
John Johnson – Clarke Carlisle – Kelvin Langmead – Lee Collins
Chris Hackett – Ben Harding – Ben Tozer – Joe Widdowson
Ishmel Demontagnac – Roy O’Donovan
Subs: Dean Snedker, Claudio Dias, Lewis Hornby, Luke Guttridge, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Clive Platt, Jake Robinson
Here are all the stats…
The league table currently shows Wycombe in 14th place with 49 points from 37 games, and Northampton in 4th spot with 62 points from 38 games.
North’ton Away Record….W 4 – D 6 – L 9 – Pts 18…Ppg 0.95 (Rank-21)
Wycombe Home Record…W 7 – D 5 – L 7 – Pts 26…Ppg 1.37 (Rank-14)
Northampton’s last five results (All Competitions)
Lg2: Plymouth (H)………….Won 1-0
Lg2: Bristol Roversy (H)…..Won 1-0
Lg2: Exeter (A)………………Lost 0-3
Lg2: Accrington (H)…………Won 2-0
Lg2: Morecambe (A)………Drew 1-1
Wycombe’s last five results (All Competitions)
Lg2: Southend (H)…………..Lost 1-2
Lg2: Torquay (A)…………….Won 2-1
Lg2: Fleetwood (H)………….Won 1-0
Lg2: Rochdale (A)……………Lost 1-4
Lg2: Rotherham (H)………..Drew 2-2
Northampton Goal Stats (45 games in all Competitions)
Goals Scored (Total)……….Lg: 58…Cups: 10…Total: 68
Goals Conceded (Total)……Lg: 49…Cups: 12…Total: 61
Goals Scored (Away)………Lg: 21…Cups: 3…..Total: 24
Goals Conceded (Away)…..Lg: 35…Cups: 3…..Total: 38
Clean Sheets…………………Lg: 12…Cups: 1…..Total: 13
Failed to score……………….Lg: 8…..Cups: 1…..Total: 9
Wycombe Goal Stats (41 games in all Competitions)
Goals Scored (Total)……….Lg: 45…Cups: 4…Total: 49
Goals Conceded (Total)……Lg: 53…Cups: 8…Total: 61
Goals Scored (Home)………Lg: 24…Cups: 0…Total: 24
Goals Conceded (Home)…..Lg: 21…Cups: 0…Total: 21
Clean Sheets…………………Lg: 11…Cups: 0…Total: 11
Failed to score……………….Lg: 10…Cups: 2…Total: 12
Northampton’s Top Goal Scorers – (All Competitions)
Ade’ Akinfenwa……..17
Kelvin Langmead……9
Alex Nicholls………….8
Clive Platt…………….6
Chris Hackett………..6
Jake Robinson……….5
David Artell…………..4
Four other players have each scored 2 goals.
One other player has scored 1 goal
Wycombe’s Goal Scorers – (All Competitions)
Matt McClure………..10
Joel Grant…………….9
Dean Morgan…………8
Sam Wood……………3
Gareth Ainsworth……2
Bruno Andrade………2
Gary Doherty………..2
Jo Kuffour…………….2
Dave Winfield………..2
OG……………………..2
Stuart Beavon……….1
Matt Bloomfield………1
Kortney Hause………1
Stuart Lewis………….1
Josh Scowen…………1
Matt Spring…………..1
Anthony Stewart……1
Northampton Shooting (Top-3) – All Comps
Chris Hackett……..42 on-target…44 off-target…7 against woodwork
Ade’ Akinfenwa…..37 on-target…47 off-target…5 against woodwork
Alex Nicholls………32 on-target…17 off-target…0 against woodwork
Wycombe Shooting (Top-3) – All Comps
Dean Morgan…….28 on-target…29 off-target…6 against woodwork
Joel Grant…………22 on-target…25 off-target…0 against woodwork
Matt McClure……..19 on-target…21 off-target…1 against woodwork
Shooting (Club) – League only
North’ton….221 on target…207 off target…26 against w’work (Rank-5)
Wycombe…151 on target…168 off target…..9 against w’work (Rank-21)
Most Assists
Northampton – Ben Tozer……..13
Wycombe – Josh Scowen……….6
Discipline – All Comps
Northampton….4 Red Cards – 70 Yellow Cards
Wycombe………5 Red Cards – 63 Yellow Cards
League Form Guide
All Season
North’ton……Pld: 38…W: 18…D: 8…L: 12…Pts: 62…Pts per game: 1.63
Wycombe…..Pld: 37…W: 14…D: 7…L: 16…Pts: 49…Pts per game: 1.32
First-half of the season
North’ton…..Pld: 23…W: 9…D: 6…L: 8….Pts: 33…Ppg: 1.43 (Rank-9)
Wycombe….Pld: 23…W: 7…D: 5…L: 11..Pts: 26…Ppg: 1.13 (Rank-19)
Second-half of the season
North’ton……Pld: 15…W: 9…D: 2…L: 4…Pts: 29…Ppg: 1.93 (Rank-2)
Wycombe…..Pld: 14…W: 7…D: 2…L: 5…Pts: 23…Ppg: 1.64 (Rank-8)
Last Five league Games
Northampton….WWLWD – 10 points (Rank-4)
Wycombe…………LWWLD – 7 points (Rank-13)
Last Five League Games (Away)
Northampton……..LWDLD – 5 points (Rank-16)
Last Five League Games (Home)
Wycombe………..WLLWD – 7 points (Rank-11)
Against Top Half Opposition
Northampton…..Pld: 18…Pts: 21…Pts per game: 1.17…(Rank-14)
Wycombe………Pld: 19…Pts: 20…Pts per game: 1.05…(Rank-17)
Against Bottom Half Opposition
Northampton…..Pld: 20…Pts: 41…Pts per game: 2.05…(Rank-1)
Wycombe………Pld: 18…Pts: 29…Pts per game: 1.61…(Rank-13)
First 45 mins v Second 45 mins – Performance Comparison
First-Half
Northampton…W: 10…D: 19…L: 9…..Ppg: 1.29 (Rank-11)
Wycombe……..W: 13…D: 12…L: 12…Ppg: 1.38 (Rank-7)
Second-Half
Northampton…W: 15…D: 14…L: 9…..Ppg: 1.55 (Rank-4)
Wycombe……..W: 10…D: 12…L: 15…Ppg: 1.14 (Rank-20)
League Goals scored in First-Half
Northampton….20 (34%) (Rank-16)
Wycombe………24 (53%) (Rank-5)
League Goals scored in Second-Half
Northampton….38 (66%) (Rank-1)
Wycombe………21 (47%) (Rank-20)
League Goals conceded in First-Half
Northampton….16 (33%) (Rank-4)
Wycombe………22 (42%) (Rank-13)
League Goals conceded in Second-Half
Northampton….33 (67%) (Rank-20)
Wycombe………31 (58%) (Rank-15)
Record when scoring the first goal
North’ton scored first..19 times (W:17 – D:0 – L:2)…Ppg: 2.68 (Rank-2)
Wycombe scored frst..20 times (W:11 – D:5 – L:4)…Ppg: 1.90 (Rank-21)
Record when conceding the first goal
Nort’on conceded first..17 times (W:1 – D:6 – L:10) Ppg: 0.53 (Rank-13)
Wyc’be conceded first..15 times (W:3 – D:0 – L:12) Ppg: 0.60 (Rank-8)
Previous Meetings
In 22 previous meetings there have been 7 wins for Northampton, 4 for Wycombe and 11 draws.
At Adams Park the tally is 3 wins for Wycombe, 3 for Northampton and 5 draws.
1993/94 LG2: Wycombe 1 Northampton 0
1997/98 LG1: Wycombe 0 Northampton 0
1998/99 LG1: Wycombe 1 Northampton 2
2000/01 LG1: Wycombe 1 Northampton 0
2001/02 LG1: Wycombe 2 Northampton 1
2002/03 LG1: Wycombe 1 Northampton 1
2004/05 LG2: Wycombe 0 Northampton 1
2005/06 LG2: Wycombe 1 Northampton 1
2005/06 FAC: Wycombe 1 Northampton 3
2009/10 JPT: Wycombe 2 Northampton 2
2010/11 LG2: Wycombe 2 Northampton 2
The Man In The Middle
Saturday’s referee is Brendan Malone from Wiltshire who was promoted to the National List of Refeees in 2010. Earlier this season he took charge of Wycombe’s 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle. During the current campaign he’s issued 3 red and 54 yellow cards in 19 appearances.
Predictions
Benny: Wycombe 2 Northampton 2
Len: Wycombe 1 Northampton 1
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