Wycombe Wanderers ensured they would be playing League One football next season courtesy of a 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town at Adams Park on Saturday evening.
In reality, there was no chance of Wanderers being relegated as only an unlikely combination of results and a twelve-goal swing between themselves and Plymouth Argyle would see Wycombe fall back to League Two. That said, Gareth Ainsworth was keen to ensure that the club’s five-year plan to get into and stay in League One could be signed off with a victory.
There was a return to the starting line-up for Joe Jacobson at left-back as Michael Harriman moved to right-back and Jason McCarthy to the middle of the defence. Curtis Thompson missed out through injury which allowed Marcus Bean to start in midfield.
Joey Barton meanwhile made just one change to the Fleetwood side that beat Sunderland in the week with Jack Sowerby replacing Eddie Clarke.
Wycombe started the brighter of the two sides and could have taken the lead two minutes in when Scott Kashket was sent through, but his somewhat tame lob over Alex Cairns was comfortably cleared. Matt Bloomfield then volleyed over with eleven minutes on the clock before the visitors started to grow into the game.
Captain Lewie Coyle shot over the bar following a well-worked corner routine after a quarter of an hour, and then Ashley Neasden capitalised on a dreadful pass from Bean to bear down on goal. His effort though was very tame, and Ryan Allsop made a comfortable save. There was nothing comfortable about his save five minutes later though when another decent move ended with Ashley Hunter firing towards the top corner, but Allsop showed superb acrobatics to tip it away.
It was soon Wycombe’s turn to try their luck on goal once more and Kashket perhaps should have done better with a close range header after 30 minutes. A minute later and Wycombe were awarded a free-kick for a foul on Bean. McCarthy has shown himself to be a danger from these positions with stunning strikes against both Shrewsbury and Walsall in recent weeks, and he came oh so close to a third goal of the season with an effort that struck the outside of the post.
That was the last meaningful piece of action during a half which had seen a fair share of chances, despite a fairly low-key feel to proceedings.
The season may have been coming to a close, but the goal of the season award nearly had a late contender four minutes into the second half. McCarthy’s corner was directed to a lurking Jacobson outside the area but his sweetly struck left-footed volley was well saved by Cairns.
McCarthy was almost involved in a goal at the other end just before the hour mark when he was robbed by Ashley Nadesan. Nadesan found Paddy Madden in a good position, but his shot flew over the bar.
Alex Samuel was next to try and break the deadlock when he was sent through on goal by Kashket, but Cairns came out and smothered his effort.
Fleetwood then enjoyed a decent spell of pressure but Allsop, who was having an excellent game, made stops from Wes Burns and then Madden once more.
With fifteen minutes of the game remaining, Wycombe took the lead. Jacobson’s left footed deliveries have been a useful tool for Wanderers in recent seasons and his high, in-swinging corner deceived everyone to find the net. It was the second time the left-back has scored in such a way this season, yet the cheers from the crowd were in as much surprise as they were delight.
The goal was a tad harsh on Town though and they went in search of an equaliser. Ashley Hunter would have been disappointed with his skyward shot from Madden’s cut-back on 78 before Madden himself shot wide. With five minutes remaining, Madden managed to get an effort on target with a powerful header but, in a recurring theme of the game, Allsop foiled him once more as the season reached its conclusion.
The result means Fleetwood missed out on a top ten finish, but in Joey Barton’s first season in charge they may well be satisfied to have ended it in the top half of the table.
While Wycombe had half an eye on the games at Plymouth, Bradford and Southend during the afternoon, it was actually the 0-0 draw between Shrewsbury and Walsall that made the biggest difference to the Chairboy’s final standing as they leapfrogged the Shrews to finish 17th. It’s Wycombe’s highest EFL finish for seventeen years and the culmination of the five-year plan to get in, and stay in League One. At the end of April 2014, Wycombe were staring into the potential abyss of non-league and possibly, major financial hardship. Yet Gareth Ainsworth defiantly stated that Wycombe weren’t going to die, not on his watch, and Wycombe haven’t looked back since avoiding relegation in May of that year. Ainsworth has taken Wycombe to Wembley, Villa Park, White Hart Lane and promotion and now he has become the first manager since Martin O’Neil to take Wycombe to the third tier and keep them there. It’s a journey that began with him having to buy nets for the training pitch using his own funds because the club had none of its own.
This week the bookmakers made him the favourite to take the vacant QPR job and while it appears nothing has been decided, he may feel that without additional resources, he has taken the club as far as he can. If he does depart it will be a sad day, for while he will go with the blessing of the club, losing such a charismatic, passionate manager who refuses to make excuses or accept the credit he is due will be a great loss.
The Supporter’s Trust are actively seeking investment after two potential takeovers failed to materialise and until something concrete is decided, the long-term future of the club remains up in the air. The immediate future though lies in League One. There are Wycombe fans having driving lessons who weren’t born the last time the Chairboys had consecutive seasons in this division.
Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Jacobson 75) Fleetwood Town 0
ATT: 5,575 (Away 120)
words Phil Slatter, D3D4 Chairboys correspondent