Following the Cup game with York in 1986, the Chairboys had to wait until season 1990/91 before coming up against league opposition again in the form of Peterborough United. As with so many other cup games in recent memory, Wycombe outplayed their opponents (this time over two matches), but still ended up going out, this time 2-0 on the replay. Still, we won the FA Trophy that year, so no-one really cared. Our last (I sincerely hope!) venture in the competition as a non-league club, was another 2-matcher, with West Brom holding us to a 2-2 draw at Adams Park, but scraping through rather fortuitously 1-0 at the Hawthorns, Bob Taylor getting the winner.

Since the club's ascension to the Football League, the boot has largely been on the other foot for Rounds 1 and 2. We're now the league scalp up for grabs, and it's sad the way that the glamour of the competition appears, on the face of it at least, to have dwindled somewhat. Crowds in the early rounds have, over the years dropped, almost in anticipation of a lack-lustre game, and even where we have got to Round 3 (West Ham in 1993/94, Norwich in 1994/95 and Bradford in 1996/97), we have never looked like causing that big upset. This is in spite of the fact that all the games were home fixtures in front of bumper crowds - the West Ham figure of 9,007 remains a ground record.

In fact, it has been the last three seasons that have given most cause for cup complaints amongst the Wycombe faithful. Anyone who witnessed the two games against Basingstoke will have been surprised at the quality of non-league football from a club four divisions lower than ours, but most of all, will have pitied the wretched performances from the Wanderers, lacking any passion or footballing cohesion. The replay at Basingstoke in particular remains to this day the worst display (in my humble opinion) by any Wycombe side in 19 years of watching them. A more gutless and clueless sight you could not wish to imagine, with only Ryan, Brown and McGavin redeeming the other sorry turkeys.

The following year was little better - Chesterfield were beaten 1-0 in a tight 1st Round match, but a poor display at home to 3rd Division Plymouth resulted in a replay at Home Park, which the more up for it Devoners won 3-2. Oxford City brought back all our Basingstoke nightmares last season, and again demonstrated that the biggest gap in football probably lies between Division One and the Premiership, and not between full-time and part-time clubs. The defeat at Wigan in Round 2 was however ill-deserved and can largely be put down to poor refereeing.

To be continued......

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