Wycombe 1-4 Coventry ( att : 7,533 )

December 29, 2019

When we saw Wycombe beat Bolton on the first day of the season, the general feeling from the home supporters was “that’s three points towards safety”. Ahead of the last game before the New Year, Wycombe sit top of the table by six points, and that is despite losing their last two matches, so whatever the outcome of this match they will be top at the start of the year.

You would never have guessed that from the mood before the match. Wycombe are in the middle of what was described as a “monster run of fixtures” – Oxford ( A ), Portsmouth ( A ), Coventry ( H ), Ipswich ( H ), Sunderland ( A ), Coventry ( A ), before a run of games against the lesser lights. “Let’s see where we are after those games” was the feeling. Optimism was not in great supply with Coventry seen as a bogey team, having won all 7 of the league and cup fixtures played between them in the past three years, and Wycombe missing three first choice players, two of them defenders.

Wycombe’s home form is the best in the Division, boasting a 9-2-0 record and whilst Coventry have nearly as good a record at home ( which is at Birmingham’s ground this season ),  it is a 0-7-2 away record that leaves them in ninth. When the teamsheets are handed out ( or Opstelling as the wife continues to say after our days in Belgium ), I only recognise Kyle McFadzean ( ex-Crawley’s Conference winning side, but more recently MK Dons and Sheff Utd ), and Matt Godden ( fairly prolific lower league goal-scorer ). For Wycombe, the Beast is back following suspension.

The match-day hospitality at £60 is sold-out, with two tables of the five sold to Coventry supporters, plus two charming elderly guys on our table. They both say they have stopped going to home games since the move to Birmingham, with one of them saying that when Coventry started playing at Northampton, he also started going to Northampton to watch the rugby, and is now a regular at Franklin Gardens.

An injured Wycombe player always comes and does a short Q&A in the hospitality area before each match, and today they have wisely asked Jack Grimmer to do the honours, as he joined the club from Coventry in the close season. He is very popular with the Coventry fans, and is asked about the goal he scored at Wembley in the play-off win two seasons ago, which I was advised was his only goal for Coventry. He is one of the more eloquent players to have spoken at the games I have been too ( despite his Scottish accent ! ), and the Wycombe supporters on our table say he has been outstanding at right-back this season and one of the reasons behind the good start to the season. The caveat is Coventry must have a good squad to let him go !

The starter is Breaded Goat Cheese and Beetroot fritter, which has too much beetroot for my liking, but the wife finds delicious. On the other hand, she isn’t so fond of the main meal of Roasted Duck breast, caramelised red onion tart tatin and seasonal vegetables, and her large lump of Duck is dumped on my plate. I find it very tasty, but eating the two pieces is challenging, but I make it in the end. I give most of my Triple chocolate delice to her !

As I am the driver, when I see they have the zero alcohol Heineken on tap I decide to be sensible and give that a go as it seems to be highly rated, and I’ve seen it in a number of pubs, even those who don’t sell the regular Heineken. Together with a bottle of Pinot Grigio it comes to £18.30. The first couple of sips are horrid but after a while it tastes just like any other crap lager eg Fosters, Harp, Carling etc. I have a glass of wine with the meal though.

The programme is in fact two programmes. One side is for the Coventry game, but turn it around and up side down it become the programme for the New Year’s Day fixture with Ipswich. Unfortunately, the lack of space means there are no kids puzzles, no fixtures and results for the season, no league table or details on the Wycombe players. Also, there is only a limited amount of info on Coventry ( and Ipswich for that matter, but I’ll have something to read when that game is shown on Sky ! ).

Coventry have just about sold-out the away end behind the goal, so about 1,800 fans, and they are in good voice. They start with “Akinfenwa, your tits are offside”, and they keep singing throughout most of the game, but I struggle to make-out most of the chants. In reference to Wycombe’s more direct approach, in the second half there are a couple of “You’re gonna hoof in a minute” when the keeper has the ball, and towards the end there is an impressive three or four minutes of Twist and Shout. There is probably a reason why this is relevant to Coventry, but I have no idea.

Coventry have a very natty white away shirt with a black and white check pattern on the middle of the front. I remark that if they get bored they can always play chess or draughts, and it is only later that I remember an article from When Saturday Comes that this is one of several new shirts this season making reference to a club’s or their town’s heritage, with this being a reference to the Ska movement that started in Coventry in the 1980’s. You can make your own list of Specials songs that could have been sung instead of Twist and Shout !

Coventry press from the start and Wycombe looked to have weathered the initial burst but a midfielder slips when a short ball out of defence is played to him, and the loose ball is moved to left wing back, who cuts in side and shoots for the edge of the box right footed across goal leaving the keeper rooted to the spot for 0-1 after 3 minutes. I’m told there are a couple of Premiership teams looking at Sam McCallum, “he’ll probably go to Villa – they nick all our best players !”.

Wycombe bounce back strongly and draw level on 14 minutes. The Beast latches on to a header, holds off a challenge, and with the keeper choosing to stay on his line rather than risk bravely coming out to block and maybe collide with Akinfenwa ( who is officially only 16 stone but more likely 19 or 20 ! ), who has time to scuff a shot into the corner for the equaliser.

The score isn’t level for long though as immediately Wycombe’s keeper is forced to make a fine save but the ball falls to Jombati, Wycombe’s long-serving right back but only in the side today due to the injury to Grimmer, who has plenty of time to clear but instead dithers and under pressure from McCallum turns and plays a weak back pass. As McCallum runs past him, he is brought down by Jombati and a penalty and yellow card is given. From our seats it looks a clear penalty and Jombati lucky not to get a red card, but seeing the incident later on Sky’s Goal Express the contact looks minimal and the player having little chance of getting to the ball. Anyway, Godden makes no mistake. 1-2

The rest of the half is pretty even as Wycombe huff and puff to little effect but Coventry’s pace and movement upfront catch the eye. Coventry’s third goal is also a shade fortunate. Shipley attempts to flick on a long ball out of defence but misses it. Godden had already started his run and would have been yards offside had Shipley made contact, but instead he is clear through, rounds the keeper and rolls home for 1-3 on 44 minutes.

Coventry preserve their two goal lead when their keeper makes an excellent save from a flying header just before the half-time whistle.

The conversation over the half-time tea and biscuits is just how bad Wycombe have been, and seven or eight players could be taken off. Things get worse right at the start of the second half, when this time Shipley does flick a long ball inside, and Godden slams home sensationally on the half-volley from just outside the penalty area, again with the keeper motionless. 1-4 !

The game meanders for a while, before Wycombe finally make some changes, which give them a better shape and they dominate the rest of the match. However, there are no clear-cut chances created, and Coventry still look dangerous on the break, and when Wycombe move to three at the back, Jombati and centre-half Stewart impress with the way the cope with Godden and Shipley. But is all a little too late, and Coventry secure their first away win of the season

After the match there is usually the Man of the Match ceremony in the Hospitality lounge. After today’s match they decide it would be too embarrassing to make such an award, and rather than have a Coventry player attend ( after all nearly half the people in the room are away fans ) the decision is made forRob Couhig, the US Businessman who is about to acquire 75% of Wycombe to come and speak to the audience.

He actually gives a modest speech, something not normally associated with US Businessmen, saying that he knows very little about English football, “you all know much more than me”, before mentioned that only Exeter have been as successful as Wycombe running a club with a Supporters Trust, and that he and his team also looked at buying into Bury but luckily avoided that disaster.

He spoke very highly about the job Gareth Ainsworth is doing ( hope that doesn’t mean he’ll be sacked soon ! ) and it is impressive that managers of bigger clubs are keen to sending their talented youngsters to Wycombe as they know they will be looked after and well coached. He also said that when he first met with Ainsworth, he said he didn’t want to be having constant heart-attacks in April over the fear of relegation so what did we need to do a) stay at the same level as last season b) be better than that. If he had known it would be this quick and easy to be top of the league he would have invested in a club years ago !

The consolation for Wycombe is with Ipswich, Peterborough and Portsmouth all losing, they are still four points clear at the top, with in-form Oxford United now in second place.

Wycombe is normally good for Red Kite watching but today only one bird comes to watch, and disappears before half-time, clearly unimpressed with the way Wycombe were playing. When Wycombe are on TV, the camera will usually focus on a Red Kite during an injury or some other delay in the match – so something to look out for during the Ipswich game !

Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhm79c_J2jo