Waddock’s Wanderers Walloped again

Brentford 5 Wycombe Wanderers 2

Wycombe’s woeful defending finally took them to the bottom of the table this afternoon.

They’ve been heading that way for a while and it should come as no surprise to anyone who watches them regularly.

Gifting goals to the opposition isn’t something that has suddenly reared its ugly head at Wycombe. It’s a season long malady that’s been allowed to fester without effective treatment.

If empty rhetoric was a cure, the Blues’ defence would be as tight as a camel’s arse in a sandstorm by now, but it’s not, and the same players just keep making the same mistakes.

It makes you wonder what they do all week on the training ground.

Today was another huge disappointment for 919 travelling fans who turned up at Griffin Park hoping lessons had been learned and that last week’s victory over Rochdale would be a springboard to improved performances.

All the ingredients were there for the Blues to spring a surprise. Local derby – packed away-end – opponents without a win in seven – bumpy pitch to compensate for lack of quality – the omens were good, and there was an air of cautious optimism as the players lined up.

29 minutes later Wycombe were 3-0 down and the game was effectively over.

A second-half ‘fightback’ saw the Blues make it 3-1 and 4-2, but they never got to within a single goal of the Bees who stepped on the gas a couple times to restore their three goal lead.

The home side also hit the woodwork twice to spare the Blues from an even heavier defeat.

Gary Alexander scored the Bees’ opening goal after only 10 minutes when he took advantage of a slip from Louis Laing and rose unmarked in the box to head home a cross from Wycombe’s right flank.

The second was scored after 22 minutes when the Blues failed to effectively clear another cross and the ball was put on a plate for Sam Saunders to slot home.

Seven minutes later it was 3-0 when Foster failed to prevent another cross from the right and Alexander escaped his marker to side-foot the ball home for his second goal of the game.

Dave Winfield got one back for Wycombe two minutes after the break when he headed home a Grant Basey free kick.

There was a scramble in the build up to Brentford’s fourth goal after 73 minutes but when the final cross arrived, five Wycombe defenders were static in the box as Toumani Diagouraga nipped between them to score.

The Blues hit back after 76 minutes when Bees’ keeper Richard Lee made a great double save from Beavon and Grant, and from the resulting corner Grant’s cut-back found Strevens who couldn’t miss from a yard.

Alexander got his hat-trick on 81 minutes when he volleyed home yet another cross from Wycombe’s right flank.

All afternoon, the Blues failed to prevent crosses from coming into their box and stood around like statues when they did.

In his aftermatch interview, Blues’ boss Gary Waddock described his side’s performance as ‘unacceptable.’

Again.

Line-up & ratings
Bull (5), Foster (3), Winfield (5), Laing (4), Basey (5), Grant (5), Lewis (5) (Ainsworth 46 (6)), Harper (5), Bloomfield (6), Strevens (5), Beavon (6).