Even against fellow non-league clubs, I remember the FA Cup always had a tremendous sense of anticipation about it, with the prospect of something much bigger and better for the victors of each tie. The first FA Cup match whose details really stick in my mind was the fine victory in 1985 over Colchester United, who featured a youthful Perry Groves in their line-up. 3,089 may not have been a sell-out, but it certainly seemed a monster crowd to a young lad used to attendances of 700-800 for home games that season. The optional extra of some pre-, mid- and post-match crowd aggro also added to the overall spice of the occasion, with a small tribe of incognito (scarves around faces) Wycombe 'fans' stirring up a ruckus or three in and around the ground.

The crowd had just 3 minutes to wait before going mental, as Mark 'local hero' West rose unmarked to nod home from a corner. Simon 'Drug' Read was slipped through on 40 minutes to finish with aplomb, and the 2-0 victory was comfortable. Non-league Chelmsford visited in Rd 2 and were sent packing by a similar margin with Des McMahon hitting a 40-yarder for the second. So, Rd 3 achieved for only the second time in the club's history, but rewards don't come much less magnanimous than a trip to Ice Station Bootham Crescent in January to play York City. Words alone cannot begin to describe how mercilessly cold it was standing on York's exposed away end with over 1,000 Wycombe fans for company, watching what was little more than synchronised ice-skating. After our third disallowed goal was chalked off by a linesman who seemed to have uncontrollable right arm spasms, we knew it wasn't to be our day, and eventually went down 2-0 to a brace of Keith Walwyn goals.

The rest of the 80s were a disappointment FA Cup-wise, indeed the Chairboys had to wait until season 1990/91 before coming up against league opposition again in the form of Peterborough United.

The 1990's - Posh, Baggies and Basingstoke>>>

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