Wycombe Wanderers 1 Stockport County 2 ( Football League 1) Saturday 9 August 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

County pulled out all the stops coming away from sun-soaked Adams Park with 3 valuable early season points today.

Glorious it might have been, and for much of the time the green shirted blues looked streets ahead of Mike Dodds Wycombe side.

Two goals, an early one by the irrepressible Kyle Wootton, and a belter after the break ,set up impressively by Owen Moxon and put away brilliantly by Jack Diamond, set the scene for an emphatic win.

Apart from the first 7 or 8 minutes Wanderers hadn`t got remotely close to solving the puzzles set for them by Dave Challinor`s County team.

For long periods only Fred Onyedinwa offered the home team hope – he was excellent…a constant threat down the left, but sporadically and crucially without quality support.

Thereafter it was County  under the cosh, but again we got thrown a lifeline as  Alex Lowry rattled the woodwork with his penalty kick.

It stayed 2-0 until wave after wave of Wanderers attacks finally paid off as Jamie Mullins fired home a decent strike from inside the box.

There was a long time left for County to defend and much of it was last ditch stuff as we went long from deep which just added to our problems when the ball inevitably came back at us .

That County held out and secured the points , is to their credit, although mightily hard to watch,  but if they eventually can bring  their A Game to matches, they will be quids in in the title race……

For now though, 3 more hard earned points will do us

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Despite a lively performance by the 861 County fans behind Corey Addai`s goal, the early action was smack under their noses as Fred Onyendinma tested the blues metal down the left- forcing the first of 2 corners in rapid order. Diamond and Camps sorted the issue eventually as we waited for a County reply.

But a third Wanderers corner came instead- County thankful to see Corey Addai claim the ball midst a flurry of activity in the box.

The County response was delayed but eventually effective when it arrived.

Owen Moxon started things ,turning defence into attack, spreading play wide left to Dodgson, but there was no one in position to add a finish when his searching cross came over.

County kept working at it though- winning a corner…wasting it….looking likely to open the scoring through Jack Diamond until he blazed the ball over the bar.

The disappointment at that last action lasted barely 60 seconds as the next County attack on Wanderers goal saw Kyle Wootton fire home on the turn to give DC`s team the lead.

Wanderers tried to rally only for a fine block by Dodgson  to upturn Jamie Mullins efforts to force the ball home from smack in front of goal.

All that accounted for ,it remained that it was County who looked the part- Dodgson and Diamond to the fore pushing forward…..Norwood seeing a shot charged down from Camps pass, and a Moxon / O`Keefe cooperation deserving better than it achieved.

But we constantly had to watch that back door ,as Onyedinma was looking to embarrass County- his break on 33 minutes halted by a neat bit of work by Olowu- the follow up by Daniel Udoh being sorted without undue alarms by Addai.

Back came County as Wootton found Diamond , but when he cut inside the eventual shot by Camps took a deflection going for a corner, but despite an almighty flap by Wanderers keeper Mikki Van Sas, the blues could not prevail.

The rest of the half saw Wycombe trying their best to get that equaliser , mostly via the energetic Onyedinma, without looking ever likely to succeed.

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It was 1-0 to County as the second half started, but it took the blues just 6 minutes to add a second goal and it was a bit of a belter !

A run by Moxon to the edge of the box started it, his onward pass to Diamond seeing him set up well inside the home box.

It then got a touch other worldy as Diamond halted and, at least it  it appeared to me, so did everyone in the vicinity. Diamond took the hint ….took a step forward…..looked up…..then caressed the ball home with consummate ease.

County were 2-0 up and seemingly well set for a thumping win!

But there was still Onyedinma to consider , until just before the hour that is when unaccountably he was substituted!

The quadruple subbing that occurred at that moment looked to enliven the home side who  buzzed energetically around Addai`s goal – none more so than Dan Harvie whose run into the box was abruptly ended by a prodigious lean by O`Keefe – the ref thought it was a penalty and I agreed as did the majority of the circa  6000 present.

It would be a shoo -in wouldn`t it…..2-1 as County`s lead was reduced , but instead  it stayed 2-0 as Lowry`s kick thundered into a post before going out of play!

The intensity of the attacking by Wycombe increased -every attack accompanied by a frenzied appeal for a penalty, but whilst Mr Yates the Referee had a poor second half in my view- he saw through a clutch of frivolous try-on`s.

County made nothing of a free kick a while after the hour mark  when Camps and Oluwo were replaced by Bailey and Lowe.

County`s changes made no impact at all, indeed not long after Wanderers nicked a goal back.

At last, one of the many frantic surges into blue territory paid off as a neat one/ two twixt Mullins and Lowry saw him slip the ball beyond Addai into the net- it was 2-1 and County now had a fight on their hands, but then we rather knew that!

The pressure increased from Wycombe – Addai saving from Harvie.

O`Keefe made a vital block inside the last 10 minutes of normal time …..Taylor Allen heading over from a free kick for Wycombe.

The attacking by Wanderers looked incessant , but County were adding to their own issues settling for long punts up the park from deep- we needed targets up the park to aim for and accuracy in the delivery from the back but County had to cling on their defending more desperate by the minute.

I thought I heard 7 minutes added time but I counted at least 11 as Wanderers continued to press on forcing County back.

It was far from pretty, indeed borderline comic as Addai almost sliced  a clearance into his on net deep in added time.

Eventually Mr Yates found his whistle and ended our torment- exaggeration on my part…probably….. but that was how I saw it today.

Should they find their A Game against Orient next Saturday I will be first to congratulate them-a game surely not to miss!

See you there then!

 

Wycombe Wanderers line up :-

Van Sas ,  Harvie , Allen , Junior,( Tilley 57) Leahy , Udoh ( Kone 57 ), Casey( Grimmer 57 ) , Mullins ,Taylor , Abbott ( Bunce 68) , Onyedinma( Lowry 57), 

Subs not used : Norris , Manchester.

 

Stockport County line up :-

Addai , O`Keefe , Connolly , Pye , Olowu (Bailey 65),Dodgson, Moxon , Camps ( Lowe 65) , Norwood , Wootton , Diamond.( Andrew 86).

Subs not used: Hinchiffe ,Mothersille , Allen, Fiorini.

 

Attendance 5590 ( 861)

hedgegrower

 

a few crowd shots from hedgegrower......