WYCOMBE v CHESTERFIELDMonday 28th December 1998 - Division Two A well taken goal from Keith Scott on 66 minutes was enough to give Wycombe three valuable points against Chesterfield on Holiday Monday at Adams Park. Wycombe fans were made to sweat out the final ten minutes as the visitors made a token effort to claim an underdeserved point but the final whistle signalled a happy end to 1998 for the AP faithful. It was Scottys first league goal since October and helps Wycombe climb to the dizzy heights of fourth from bottom. The match was slightly soured by two sendings off - Chesterfield's Jamie Hewitt on 72 minutes and Wycombe's Michael Simpson with five minutes left. Both were for second bookable offences awarded by an over sensitive referee. There was only going to one satisfactory result from this game for Wycombe fans, with Chesterfield boasting an away record of no wins from ten and just three goals. They also lost to Wycombe in the FA Cup back in November. It was easy to see why on this display as they rarely threatened Martin Taylor until the closing stages. Wycombe themselves took nearly half-an-hour before they decided to blow away the Christmas cobwebs. Matt Lawrence, returning after suspension for Gary Wraight, worked hard to win a corner on the right after 26 minutes and prompted a flurry of action. First Steve Brown saw a shot tipped over by Spiriete 'keeper Billy Mercer and then a looping header from Scott hit the foot of the post. As ever Wycombe came out stronger in the second-half. After just two minutes Jermaine McSporran raced through from the right side of the park but pulled his shot just wide of the opposite upright. On 56 minutes Simpson nearly made up for a string of mis-placed passes when he thumped in an effort from the edge of the box that Mercer did well to push away. The winning goal came ten minutes later. Chris Vinnicombe played a one-two with Brown after a throw-in on the left before returning an inswinging cross that Dave Carroll got the faintest of glances before Scotty controlled and stabbed home at the near post. Scott should have extended the lead following Hewitt's dismissal for a body check on Brown but he got underneath Vinnicombe's bye-line cross. Despite a late flurry from Chesterfield, Wycombe were well worth the three points. Since beating Macclesfield back in October, Wycombe have lost just twice from 12 league games - picking up 20 points in the process. Final Score Wycombe 1 Chesterfield 0 WYCOMBE TEAM:Taylor, Lawrence, Vinnicombe, McCarthy, Cousins, Ryan, Simpson, Brown (sub Kavanagh), McSporran, Scott, Carroll Subs not used: Read and Emblen Att:5,391 
WALSALL v WYCOMBESaturday 26th December 1998 - Division Two In a topsy-turvey game at The Bescot Stadium, Wycombe held on for a point in the dying stages having led 2-1 at one point. In the wet and windy conditions, Walsall dominated the first half and The Saddlers took the lead after 20 minutes when a right wing cross from Chris Marsh was stabbed in at the near post by top scorer Andy Rammell. Wycombe survived further punishment and could have snatched an equaliser on the stroke of half-time but Scott was off-target. Scott and Carroll then contrived to miss a chance from close range after 51 minutes before the man of the moment equalised. Keith Ryan, making his first start since August, chipped the ball through from midfield and Jermaine McSporran stole in as Richard Green slipped-up on the edge of his own box - SuperMac smashing home after just one touch. Dave Carroll did well to catch him for the celebrations! Walsall could of regained the lead within a minute when Jason Cousins gave away a needless penalty but Icelander Bjarn Larusson blasted over. Wycombe were now on top and took the lead on 63 minutes when Carroll played the ball in from the right side of midfield, Scott dummied and Steve Brown swept in to slot home with his right foot past Walker in the home goal and send the travelling fans wild. The hysteria lasted one minute as Wycombe conceeded a free-kick on the left. The ball was swung in and despite a full-length save by Taylor, Andy Rammell was at the far post to chest the ball home. Rammell had a goal dissallowed for offside as Walsall strove for the winner but Wycombe were worth at least a point against the surprise package of Division Two. Neil Smillie made two enforced changes to the side that beat Lincoln the previous week - Gary Wraight and Keith Ryan coming in for the suspended Matt Lawrence and Nicky Mohan. Wycombe played five across the back but there were further changes needed when Paul McCarthy clashed heads with Rammell after 16 minutes. Wycombe conceeded four minutes later but McCarthy was still nursing the injury and was later replaced by Paul Emblen. Emblen's introduction meant Wycombe playing with four at the back and although it looked dangerous at times the benefits up front payed off. McSporran again frightened the home fans as he skipped through the bog like conditions on several occasions. The only negative point from Wycombe's point of view was that there were four more bookings picked up - Vinnicombe, Cousins, Brown and Simpson all edging towards further suspensions. Wycombe are now unbeaten in the last four visits to The Bescot Stadium with this result preventing the home side from taking top spot in the table. Wycombe remain one off the bottom of the table with 20 points but with two home games coming up there is every chance of edging nearer to the safety zone. Final Score Walsall 2 Wycombe 2 WYCOMBE TEAM:Taylor, Wraight, Vinnicombe, McCarthy (sub 36 Emblen), Cousins, Ryan, Simpson, Brown, McSporran, Scott, Carroll Subs not used: Read and Kavanagh Att:6,258
WYCOMBE v LINCOLNSaturday 19th December 1998 - Division Two Everybody was talking about Jermaine McSporran as they left Adams Park on Saturday having seen Wycombe win 4-1 with the youngster scoring two late goals, the first of which had Wycombe fans drooling. Wycombe had ended a goal league goal drought that had lasted 345 minutes when Steve Brown powered home in the 19th minute and Dave Carroll's strike on the stroke of half-time should have sealed matters. But when Lincoln pulled one back on the hour it was panic stations. Keith Ryan's return to first team action on 78 minutes fired Wycombe again and on 80 minutes McSporran ran through from midfield before letting fly with a 20 yard screamer that ripped past the helpless Bruce Grobbelaar in the City goal. Five minutes later McSporran headed home from the edge of the six-yard box after a left wing cross from Michael Simpson. The Wycombe line-up returned to the one that had drew 0-0 at Blackpool the previous Saturday but with the added tension of knowing that three points were vital, they made a nervous start. After just 6 minutes some quite horrifying defending gave the basement club an opening with Tony Battersby's curling shot skimming off the cross-bar at the Valley End. McSporran had his first sight of goal three minutes later when he tried to chip Grobbelaar but the effort was a fraction too high. Wycombe's first goal came after Matt Lawrence swung in a free-kick from out on the left wing. The ball was cleared as far as Michael Simpson whose forward pass found Keith Scott with his back to goal on the edge of the box. With one touch he layed the ball into the path of Brown who struck home sweetly from a full 20 yards. The goal settled Wycombe but they struggled again when in front of goal. Half-time was rapidly approaching when Wycombe got the vital second goal and it pure 'route-one' stuff. A massive clearance by Taylor was nodded on by Scott and Dave Carroll grabbed the opportunity of slotting past Grobbelaar from 12 yards with just one touch. Half-time Wycombe 2 Lincoln 0 A third goal would have burried The Imps but despite a couple of comical pinball type scrambles in the City area the goal didn't come. On the hour it got serious again as City pulled one back. A quick throw on the City left led to the ball being fed into the Wycombe box and Gavin Gordon struck home off Taylor's left post to put the jitters up Wycombe. The two goal lead could have been regained on 63 minutes when first McSporran raced in from the right but after Grobbelaar had cleared Brown's follow up wasn't up to his first-half effort. The points were finally sealed after Keith Ryan had returned to First Team action - replacing a sluggish looking Mohan who didn't seem very happy in being substituted. Two minutes later it was all over as McSporran sprinted through from midfield, weaving past three defenders before belting the ball high into the top right hand corner of the net. The crowd had barely settled when Wycombe struck again. Simpson played a short corner one-two with Vinnicombe on the left and the cross was headed home by an unmarked McSporran - pure ecstasy for the Wycombe fans. Wycombe move above Oldham in the table thanks to the three points but have a potentially difficult game at Walsall on Saturday 26th December to contend with before returning to Adams Park on Monday 28th December to play Chesterfield. Final Score Wycombe 4 Lincoln 1 WYCOMBE TEAM:Taylor, Lawrence, Vinnicombe (sub 90 Kavanagh), McCarthy, Cousins, Mohan (sub 78 Ryan), Simpson, Brown, McSporran (sub 90 Read), Scott, Carroll Att:4,731
WYCOMBE v PLYMOUTH ARGYLETuesday 15th December 1998 FA Cup Second Round Replay Full report via this link
BLACKPOOL v WYCOMBESaturday 12th December 1998 - Division Two Wycombe slogged out yet another 0-0 draw on Saturday in a dreadful game at Bloomfield Road. Keith Scott could have won it for Wycombe in the 85th minute when he came through from the left side but his shot cannoned down off the bar and away to safety. It was a rare attack by Wycombe who played with the same team that finished the game at Shrewsbury in the week. The home side had not won at home since September but with better finishing could have burried Wycombe by half-time. It was the same old story for Wycombe with too many passes going astray and free-kicks and corners wasted. If Alan Parry and Graham Peart want any more clues to why the fans are disappearing from Adams Park, then they should watch a video of this game and come for a 'chat' with the fans on the terraces at the next away game. In the four previous visits to Blackpool, Wycombe have won two and drawn two and with 'Pool having their own financial crisis and the fans unhappy, this game was there for the taking. The home fans staged an on pitch demonstration at the previous home game and the police presence probably outnumbered Wycombe's sparse support in the most derelict ground in the Football League. This week's protest consisted of releasing dozens of black balloons early in the first-half but a planned minute's silence during the game, ironically went unnoticed. Meanwhile, some of Wycombe's supporters ammused themselves by trying to decipher the faded slogan on the roof of the West Stand and discussing the events of the previous night out in Blackpool. On the pitch there was little cultured football. Matt Lawrence picked up a booking within minutes of the start when he backchatted the ref. Wycombe's first attempt at goal came on 20 minutes when a Michael Simpson curled a free-kick over the bar after Steve Brown had been fouled approaching goal. Blackpool's Patterson picked up a booking on 27 minutes for a bad foul on Dave Carroll while a minute later Wycombe had their best chance of the half. Brown crossing low from the left but McSporran couldn't steer the ball in. Blackpool should have finished Wycombe in the fifteen minutes leading up to half-time. On 29 minutes Brett Ormerod failed to square the ball to an unmarked Phil Clarkson, then seven minutes before the break Clarkson managed to block a shot from Steve Bushell with his hand after a mad scramble in the Wycombe goal that Taylor had initially slapped away. Moments later Jason Cousins nearly headed a Ormerod cross past his own 'keeper but luckily Taylor was alert. Ormerod had a free header at the far post after a cross from the left but again Wycombe survived thanks to poor finishing. Keith Scott was in the wars early in the second-half when he was forced to leave the pitch to patch up a head wound. Blackpool's threat up front seemed to evaporate when they subsituted Ormerod - a decision that didn't go down well with the home fans. On the hour mark a Simpson free-kick from the left was nodded wide by Mohan as Wycombe failed to hit the target again. Wycombe's late show saw Scott hit the bar from the left corner of the six yard box and right on the stroke of 90 minutes a long clearance by Taylor was nodded on by Scott but McSporran's shot lacked the power to beat Steve Banks in the Pool goal. Oh yes, the slogan on the roof - apparently it says 'Oh be joyful'. For both sets of fans perhaps this should be changed to 'Oh be hopeful'. Final Score Blackpool 0 Wycombe 0 WYCOMBE TEAM:Taylor, Lawrence, Vinnicombe, McCarthy, Cousins, Mohan, Simpson, Brown, McSporran, Scott, Carroll subs not used Read, Emblen and Beeton Att:2,990
SHREWSBURY TOWN v WYCOMBETuesday 8th December 1998 - AutoWindscreens Shield First Round Jermaime McSporran's first ever professional goal was enough to give Wycombe victory at Shrewsbury on Tuesday night in the AutoWindscreens Shield. McSporran is cup-tied for Wycombe's FA Cup campaign but his strike in the 110th took The Wanderers through to the Second Round thanks to the 'golden goal' ruling.The game had ended 0-0 after 90 minutes with Shrewsbury hitting the woodwork on two occasions and Martin Taylor performing more heroics in goal. The decisive goal came after Taylor's long clearance was knocked on by Keith Scott and McSporran sped away to finish in style and seal Wycombe's first away victory since the final game of last season. There were around 50 Wycombe fans there to see it and spare a thought for those who travelled via the Official Supporters Club Coach - the fan belt broke on the way back and after several delays didn't get arrive back in Wycombe until 3.00am Wednesday morning. Wycombe saw Matt Lawrence, Paul McCarthy and Nicky Mohan booked as the yellow card toll for the season passed the sixty mark. Wycombe play Brentford at home in the next round due to be played on Tuesday 5th January 1999. Final Score Shrewsbury 0 Wycombe 1 WYCOMBE TEAM:Taylor, Lawrence, Vinnicombe, McCarthy, Cousins, Mohan, Simpson, Brown, Baird (sub 59 McSporran), Scott, Carroll subs not used Emblen and Beeton Att:1,033
WYCOMBE v PLYMOUTH ARGYLESaturday 5th December 1998 - FA Cup Second Round Details via this link |
All match reports © 1998 Chairboys on the Net - Not to be reproduced without our permission
- PRE-SEASON 1998 - Not a good start
- AUGUST 1998 - League nightmare - cup glory
- SEPTEMBER 1998 - it gets worse - still no wins
- OCTOBER 1998 - a win at last - and then another
- NOVEMBER 1998 - Good form continues
- REPORTS FROM LAST SEASON - Wanderers survive again
- REPORTS FROM 1996/97 - Another survival battle
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