MATCH REPORT: Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 Shrewsbury Town

Wycombe Wanderers made it five home league wins in a row on Saturday, courtesy of a 3-2 victory over Shrewsbury Town at Adams Park. Just one point separated the sides at kick-off, both of whom had been in good form of late. The Shrews were unbeaten in November whilst Wanderers had picked up impressive results against Peterborough and Sunderland. Town were unchanged from the side that had knocked Salford City out of the F.A. Cup in the week while Gareth Ainsworth was forced to ring the changes. Loanee Bryn Morris was refused permission to play against his parent club, while goalkeeper David Stockdale was given his Wycombe debut having signed on an emergency loan deal from Birmingham City. Nathan Tyson made his first start of the season and Nick Freeman was also in the eleven. Freeman has found first team chances hard to come by,but has always impressed when given the opportunity.

The last time the two teams came face to face was back in 2015 in a match that was settled by a solitary Wycombe goal in the first minute and this game would start at a similar pace. Wycombe forced a corner after just 11 seconds and after the visitors initially cleared, Fred Onyedinma shot wide from distance. Just over a minute later and Town took the lead. A smart cross from Fejiri Okenabirhie was met with a powerful header from former Wycombe player Aaron Amadi-Holloway which Stockdale got down to but couldn’t keep out.

Wycombe’s response didn’t take long when after eleven minutes, former Shrew Adam El-Abd brought down Freeman’s header and superbly volleyed into the net. It was a fine finish from the centre back with only one former Wanderers goal to his name, but Shrewsbury will question how he found so much time and space in the penalty area.

The game then calmed somewhat after a frenetic opening with Wycombe doing most of the pressing without really threatening the opposition goal. El-Abd was clearly fired up, but his eagerness eventually earnt him a deserved booking on 26. A minute later and Tyson went down in the box off the ball, but Wanderers claims for a penalty were understandably waved away.

On forty minutes, Wycombe did get a breakthrough when Joe Jacobson became the third player of the game to score against his former club with a stunning strike. The left-back’s corner was cleared back out to him, but he made space and fired a right footed bullet into the very top corner. Jacobson is no stranger to being amongst the goals, but they’re usually set pieces and always with his left foot. Some fans in the ground felt it may have been a mis-hit cross. Replays suggest otherwise.
Yet this effort was almost cancelled out two minutes later when Shrewsbury won a corner which Ollie Noburn swung over to the far past. A slip from Adam El-Abd presented Luke Waterfall with a golden chance, but his powerful, close-range header came back off the post.

The first meaningful effort of the second half would also be a close range header from a corner when just after the hour mark, Tyson rose to meet Jacobson’s cross but he could only head into the side-netting.

Freeman was next to try his luck when he shot from just outside the area with 63 minutes on the clock, but Steve Arnold in the Shrews goal palmed the effort away. Wycombe eventually got the third goal their play deserved when some neat passing and pressing in midfield allowed Freeman to find Alex Samuel. The young forward, whose impressive displays recently saw rewarded with a two-and-a-half-year contract, rifled home from just inside the area.

That should have put the game to bed, but Wanderers allowed the Shrews back into proceedings almost immediately. A comical defensive mix up allowed Noburn and Okenabirhie in on goal. The former fed the latter and he did well to find the corner of the net with what was Town’s first effort on target since the opening goal.

That set up a potential grand stand finish with Wanderers looking to counter-attack the chasing Shrews, and Dominic Gape came close to fourth when he shot over with five minutes remaining.

Stockdale then went down after claiming a cross and he had to receive treatment which resulted in seven minutes being added on. Shrewsbury were unable to carve open any opportunities though as Wycombe ran the clock down and held on for a deserved victory.

It was a first defeat for Shrewsbury’s caretaker boss Danny Coyne who admitted Wycombe were worthy winners, even if he was understandably disappointed with the nature of goals conceded which saw his side slip to 17^th in the table.

Wycombe however have moved into the top half and are just six points from the play-offs, although Gareth Ainsworth isn’t getting carried away, stating that Wanderers are now half way towards his points target of 50. November looked on paper to be a very tough month for the Chairboys, but they’ve performed exceptionally against three in form teams. They will move even further up the table should they win at Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night and Ainsworth will surely then clinch the League One manager of the month award.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS 3 (El-Abd 11, Jacobson 40, Samuel 70)

SHREWSBURY TOWN 2 (Amadi-Holloway 3, Okenabirhie 73)

ATT: 4,590 (450 away)

words Phil Slatter, D3D4 Wycombe Wanderers correspondent