Fulham were the visitors to Adams Park on Tuesday evening, meaning a tough test for the unbeaten Chairboys after a flying start
to the domestic campaign on Saturday.
The away side began with intent and looked keen to gain an early advantage. However, our
boys held their own, stuck to their positions and forced the Londoners into
hopeful shots from range.
It was as much good fortune as it was the
Gaffer’s game-plan that the score remained goalless at the break, with Fulham
unable to capitalize on the few occasions that they found their way past the Great
Wall of Wycombe at the back.
Credit to full backs Sido Jombati and skipper-on-the-night
Joe Jacobson for some superb interceptions and last-ditch tackles to stifle the
away side’s creativity in the final third.
Blues had chances, but only on a couple of
occasions did they force the opposing keeper, Bettinelli, to work for his
wages.
The second half began with Wycombe pinning
the away side to their own half, and beginning to look the most likely to make
a breakthrough.
But midway through the half, a Fulham
counter-attack ensued, with us short at the back, leaving Ben Pringle free to
provide Alex Kacanikilic with a close range finish in front of the noisy travelling fans,
to take the lead, and possibly the match.
The Blues knew they needed to raise their
game; the home faithful turned up the volume and Adams Park was rocking.
On came Club Captain Paul Hayes in an
attempt to inspire an equalizer, and even though his experience and class
proved vital in successfully penetrating the stubborn Championship side’s back
line, we simply couldn’t find the net.
Marcus Bean remained a warrior in midfield
for the Blues throughout – his strength, skill and superb footwork left the
visitor’s visibly frustrated.
At no point did it seem against the realms
of possibility that the Blues would find an equalizer, but it seemed the God’s
of Football were favoring the Londoners tonight.
The game as a whole was played in fine
spirit, the Bucks New Uni stand making themselves heard in the heavens for the
entire 90 minutes.
Wycombe showed great respect for their
ex-Premier League visitors, for whom it must now seem like a lifetime-ago that
they made the Europa League final under now-England boss Roy Hodgson. But
credit to them; their slick passing, flicks and tricks proved they haven’t
fallen that far from grace and they would certainly prove tough opposition for
our boys.
But in equal measure, we proved ourselves
to be no walk in the park, despite the two-division gap that separates the
sides, and in doing so, showed we were no flash-in-the-pan after last season’s
heroics.
COYB
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