Wanderers’ fading play-off hopes took a further hit as Wycombe ground out another three points to boost their automatic promotion hopes, writes Pete Oliver.
Wycombe had won their previous four games by 1-0 scorelines and that looked like it would again be enough once former Wanderers’ loanee Caleb Taylor had headed the visitors in front with nearly an hour gone.
There was to be a second goal this time deep into injury time as the Chairboys went into the top two but the damage had already been done for Wanderers as they remained three points adrift of the play-offs with just three games ago.
To achieve the unlikely Steven Schumacher’s men would also have to make up a mountain of goals on Leyton Orient, who took advantage of the Whites’ latest slip and Reading’s home defeat to move into sixth spot and the final play-off berth.
And scoring goals has become a problem as Wanderers – who gave a debut from the bench to 18-year-old striker David Abimbola – matches drew a blank at home for the third time in four matches.
With injuries biting and Schumacher trying to spark a winning formula again, Wanderers made four changes to their starting line-up as they looked to close back in on the top six and slow Wycombe’s promotion push.
And that quickly became five when Jordi Osei-Tutu, who had hobbled out of the Whites’ defeat at Barnsley last weekend, couldn’t manage more than the opening quarter of an hour.
John McAtee was therefore pitched back in but in a wider attacking position on the opposite flank to Aaron Collins and behind Klaidi Lolos who was given a first league start under Schumacher.
The re-shuffled line-up made a positive start but given that goals have been short supply in Wycombe’s recent games – just four in five fixtures – it was perhaps no surprise chances were in short supply.
George Thomason reflected his upbeat start with an early effort curled just wide, while Wycombe’s only opening was a half-chance for Cameron Humphreys who couldn’t connect cleanly with a bouncing cross in front of goal.
Wanderers did an excellent job of winning the ball back quickly, helped by Dempsey and the re-called Jay Matete, and keeping the visitors penned in their own half but against two banks of blue shirts it was hard going to try and punch a way through.
Half-time brought a further tweak as McAtee went back into a central position and although Wycombe upped their game to threaten to get on top for the first time, the determination of Thomason gave a sighter for Collins who dragged an effort wide of the target.
In such a tight contest it always felt like a set-piece might be the best route to goal, though, and with nearly an hour gone Wycombe capitalised on a free-kick to go in front. Taylor scored a big goal to give the Chairboys a late win in their last game and the big defender was on the spot again to nod home at the far post and give his side the lead.
That left the Whites with half an hour to try and score twice and Schumacher reacted by sending on Kion Etete and Abimbola for his first taste of senior football. The teenager lifted the crowd and made an instant impact as he won a free-kick nodded just wide by Chris Forino.
And when the up-lifting Abimbola was then pulled to the ground by substitute Joe Low, the big frontman, who has scored 24 times at youth level this term, had a decent claim for a penalty as Wanderers tried to build up a late head of steam.
Wanderers’ own set-pieces lacked the penetration of Wycombe’s earlier effort, though, and with nothing coming from open play there was no real prospect of an equaliser.
And with the visitors killing the game they then made sure of the win that took them above Wrexham into second place in the table when Luke Leahy rammed home a second goal on the break in stoppage time to put a further dampener on Wanderers’ fading campaign.
Wanderers: Baxter; Dacres-Cogley (Sharples-Ahmed 88), Forino, Johnston, Murphy (Jones 88); Osei-Tutu (McAtee 18), Matete, Thomson, Collins; Dempsey (Abimbola 65), Lolos (Etete 65). Substitutes: Southwood, Jones, Almeida-Santos.
Booked: Matete, Johnston
Wycombe: Norris; Grimmer, Bradley, Taylor; Onyedinma (Low 76), Simons, Scowen, Leahy (Sadlier 90+5); Udoh (Lubala 88), Humphreys (Reach 88); Kone (McLeary 76). Substitutes: Ravizzoli, Lowry.
Booked: Grimmer
Referee: Adam Herczeg
Attendance: 21,114 (569 Wycombe)