Match Preview: Wycombe Wanderers vs U's

29 October 2023

Back up and running, Cambridge United are looking to register back-to-back Sky Bet League One successes for the first time since the introduction to the season as they do battle with Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park...

Now that the run without victory is over, the U’s are out to kick on and improve on their away form by pulling a trick on the Chairboys on Halloween, who are winless in three and sit just two points above them in the table.

How to Watch

Over 300 U’s fans have already secured their attendance for Tuesday evening’s tie in Buckinghamshire, which gets underway at 7:45pm.

Join them by purchasing your tickets online or from Adams Park on the day of the game. Please note, online sales end at 9pm on Monday.

Alternatively, if you can't make it to the match, pick up an iFollow Match Pass and back the U’s from home! Passes cost £10 and are available to be purchased here.

Opposition Focus

Founded in 1887 during a meeting held at the Steam Engine pub on Station Road, Wanderers first started playing competitive football in 1896, but resisted the opportunity to turn professional. A century later, following eight Isthmian League titles, two FA Trophy successes and a Conference triumph, the Chairboys finally became a Football League club in 1993. Latching onto the momentum, back-to-back promotions helped them accelerate into the third tier, where they stayed for over a decade. After four years of yo-yoing between 2008 to 2012, they escaped relegation back to non-league and became a dogged outfit, soaring to the Championship for the first time in their history as recently as 2021, where the great escape was almost performed. The 2021/22 play-off finalists are itching to return and certainly have the resources and personnel to improve on last season’s ranking of 9th.

Setting up with a 3-4-1-2 formation under former player Matt Bloomfield, Max Stryjek played a blinder in the April clash and should don the sticks, with Chris Forino-Joseph an undisputed figurehead when fit, as is 37-year-old Richard Keogh and exceptional summer signing Luke Leahy – who has popped up with nine goal involvements. Youngsters Harry Boyes and Jasper Pattenden hug the lines, whilst Crystal Palace and West Ham United loanees Killian Phillips and Freddie Potts partner experienced and creative former Jamaican international Garath McCleary. To top things off, Dale Taylor is an exciting player for this level and Brandon Hanlan has the know-how, just like battering ram Sam Vokes who is prone to giving opponents a tough time.

A slow start saw the Chairboys succumb to back-to-back 3-0 defeats, to Exeter City and Lincoln City respectively, but registering 13 points from a possible 15 – which included promising home victories over Leyton Orient and Blackpool - soon shot the group up the league. The unbeaten run was terminated by Charlton Athletic, but they bounced back and triumphed against Carlisle and trounced Fleetwood Town 1-4 either side of a slender loss to Portsmouth. Wycombe’s previous three games had resulted in 14 goals, with two points picked up courtesy of draws with Peterborough United and Oxford United last time out. Only two sides in the division have conceded more than the hosts’ 23, but nonetheless they approach the match in 10th position and have a five-point gap from the play-offs to bridge.

Form Guide

Wycombe Wanderers: WWDLD

Cambridge United: DLLDW

United’s Approach

The U’s got the ball rolling and hope to have now turned a corner after they dispatched nine-man Carlisle United at the Abbey in their most recent League One tussle.

The Cumbrians’ effective wing play ensured they were the outfit who came out of the blocks firing, but United progressed as the encounter ticked on and capitalised on an impressive second-half showing with a fine George Thomas header. Red cards from Jack Armer and Alfie McCalmont late in the afternoon to importantly ensure maximum points for the first time since early September.

Reflecting on the afternoon, the Head Coach stated: “We’ve built two good performances this week and four good points off of a very good out-of-possession performance in both games.

“We needed a win quite quickly. We’ve had some good results in there, we’ve had a couple of rubbish performances in amongst it which makes everyone nervous that the next one’s not coming, but it is. We’ve got good players and we’re a good side.”

It put to an end the eight-game winless run and was the seventh clean sheet the group had recorded this season – the joint-most alongside Portsmouth, Barnsley and Stevenage. On top of that, the impressive run at home was stretched to just one defeat in seven, with a respectable 15 points attained from a possible 27. Up to 14th, there’s now just a three-point gap from 8th; improve on the solitary away victory and a rise into the top half is possible heading into the winter months.

Head-to-Head

Wycombe Wanderers Wins: 16

Cambridge United Wins: 6

Draws: 2

Down Memory Lane

Despite a battling performance six months ago, the rejuvenated U’s tasted defeat at CB5 as Wycombe travelled home with a narrow 1-2 triumph.

Although United created the better of the first-half opportunities, they found themselves two goals down following Ryan Tafazolli’s volley and David Wheeler’s close-range header. They served up a consolation through the in-form Sam Smith on the hour mark, but ultimately couldn’t conjure a leveller – importantly, they still remained on the tails of their relegation rivals.

After witnessing his side lose for the first time in five matches, Bonner admitted: “In the end, a little bit in both boxes has cost us from taking something from a game that we definitely deserved something from… We’re playing really well but it [the fight against relegation] is going to go the distance so everybody better be ready for it.”

The last time Cambridge scored more than two in a game was at Tuesday’s venue just over a year ago in a 2-3 thriller. It remains the only win in the previous eight against the tricky Chairboys, who have won a third of the 24 encounters.

Officials

Referee: Will Finnie

Assistant Referee: Shaun Hudson

Assistant Referee: Lee Venamore

Fourth Official: Daniel Middleton

Match Reports

Report: Wycombe Wanderers 0-0 Cambridge United

31 October 2023

Cambridge United battled their way to earn a point at Wycombe Wanderers on Halloween night…

There were to be no ghouls at Adams Park though, as both sides failed to convert any of their chances throughout the contest, with United picking up a best-in-the-EFL eighth clean sheet of the season.

Mark Bonner named four changes to the side that beat Carlisle United on Saturday, as George Thomas, Fejiri Okenabirhie, Saikou Janneh and Adam May returned to the starting XI.

United had to ride out some scary early moments as Wycombe looked to take the initiative in the game. With 12 minutes played, Hanlan failed to make a clean connection when the ball made its way over to him inside the box, before McLearly headed Vokes’ cross over the bar 10 minutes later.

With nearly 30 minutes on the clock, Wycombe’s Taylor blasted an effort from 20 yards over the bar, but the U’s would grow into the half and start to make some in-roads on the opposition goal.

The best chance for United came on 40 minutes, as a brilliant deep Andrew cross found the head of Bennett, whose effort crashed off the crossbar, onto the post and away from the Wanderers goal.

It was a half of little action, but one that probably suited the U’s as they went into the break all square and well in the game.

Just a few minutes after the break, Okenabirhie spurned a golden chance for the U’s as Janneh got in down the left before cutting the ball back towards the striker, whose shot flew over the bar.

Another decent opportunity came on 56 minutes, as Brophy was released on the opposite side, and despite finding May with a well picked out pass, the U’s midfielder was met head-on by a Wycombe defender who forced the effort wide of the goal.

With the U’s on top, Mark Bonner looked to keep it that way and made a switch soon after, as Kaikai came on for Janneh. It was on the opposite flank where United’s main threat was coming from though, as the lively Brophy cut inside before curling a strike just wide of the top corner from 25 yards out.

Despite struggling for much of the half, Wycombe came a whisker of the post away from taking the lead as Stevens denied McLeary from 10 yards out, with a crucial stop to keep the scores level.

The U’s would go on and come close once more, with Okenabirhie’s in-swinging cross coming inches away from Kaikai’s head, at point blank range.

As the game approached the final stages, the game opened up as both sides went for a winner. First, Wheeler let fly on the volley which fizzed over the bar, before arguably the best chance of the game fell to the recently introduced, Lankester, who powered his shot on target from six-yards out, but was denied by the strong hand of Stryjek.

All of the U’s good work almost came undone in one calamitous moment with nearly 90 minutes played, as an attempted clearance by the back-pedaling Bennett was almost sliced into his own goal from near the half-way line – thankfully the ball bounced over the bar and out for a corner.

That was the last of the drama as the full-time whistle blew and United extended their unbeaten run to three games, after a solid point and performance away from home.