Wycombe and we go: Away vs Wycombe (Tues 24th October 19:45)

[KeyserSoze]

I'll probably write more in a bit but here's a quick puzzle for you.

To win the penalty that brought our 4th (that's right, fourth) goal last night, Cameron Jerome was fouled by Richard Keogh, who is one of only three players to feature in League One this season who's older than Jerome. (By three days, in his case.) Who are the other two? Clue: One of them used to play for us, or at least run around a lot; the other moved clubs this summer.

Oh god, it's him, isn't it?

Who?

Our dear friend, the anti Pirlo, the world's first defensive number 10, old toblerone boots himself, Darren.

(I think!)

And you'll be able to pay your respects this season when we play orient!

[Harry Genshaw]

I was working last night and just checked quickly at 1-2 & the 2-3 stages. Great win and sort of typifies life under Evatt. We go to a ground where we've never even scored before, let alone pick up a point, and we rattle in 4. The flip side to that is we'll probably chuck points away, or look like we've never played the game before, when we're at home to Burton, Cheltenham, Morecambe etc

Life's never dull under this manager but I reckon I've already lost a few years off my life expectancy!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'll probably write more in a bit but here's a quick puzzle for you.

To win the penalty that brought our 4th (that's right, fourth) goal last night, Cameron Jerome was fouled by Richard Keogh, who is one of only three players to feature in League One this season who's older than Jerome. (By three days, in his case.) Who are the other two? Clue: One of them used to play for us, or at least run around a lot; the other moved clubs this summer.

Oh god, it's him, isn't it?

Who?

Our dear friend, the anti Pirlo, the world's first defensive number 10, old toblerone boots himself, Darren.

(I think!)

CORRECT!
The other fella - even older than Dazzler - effectively gave us an assist earlier this season.

[TANGODANCER]

"La Donna immobile" means "The woman is fickle!) When things go wrong, human nature generally wants somebody to blame.( nobody excused including yours truly) and who more fickle than a football fan? If we'd come away with a point or ( heaven forbid) surrendered our goals and lost, Ian Evatt would have been in the class of Jack the Ripper as a villain. We didn't and he's an okay guy. I'm for giving I.E full credit for our current status. Compared to other like manager in this league (especially the bottom half ) he's a great manager. We only just missed out on promotion, went to Wembley and won the Papa Jon cup and now we're within touch of the top two in this league. Ian Evatt deserves three cheers for me. Just thought I'd mention it..

[Harry Genshaw]

I'll probably write more in a bit but here's a quick puzzle for you.

To win the penalty that brought our 4th (that's right, fourth) goal last night, Cameron Jerome was fouled by Richard Keogh, who is one of only three players to feature in League One this season who's older than Jerome. (By three days, in his case.) Who are the other two? Clue: One of them used to play for us, or at least run around a lot; the other moved clubs this summer.

Oh god, it's him, isn't it?

Who?

Our dear friend, the anti Pirlo, the world's first defensive number 10, old toblerone boots himself, Darren.

(I think!)

CORRECT!
The other fella - even older than Dazzler - effectively gave us an assist earlier this season.

Our mate Curtis!

Watching him chase Jerome was similar to the Keogh battle last night. 2 elderly blokes trying to 'dash' into a restaurant before the early bird discount finishes.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The other fella - even older than Dazzler - effectively gave us an assist earlier this season.

Our mate Curtis!

Watching him chase Jerome was similar to the Keogh battle last night. 2 elderly blokes trying to 'dash' into a restaurant before the early bird discount finishes.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

There's something evocative about Wycombe. I've watched us lose there in August sunshine, November drizzle and February murk, but there's something.... quaint about the ground and its environs, even if you do approach it via the usual light-industrial estate.

On our first trip here we had a team of kids. When Josh Magennis refused to board the bus, it left our attack in the tender charge of Eddie Brown, just 18 years old and thrust into EFL action well before he was ready – if he ever would be: he was last seen leaving Hyde United, bless him.

These days, striker debate surrounds the suitability of a man twice the age Eddie was - Cameron Jerome, born when the UK charts were topped by Chris DeBurgh's The Lady In Red despite the close attentions of Sinitta's So Macho. The question has been asked: Is Jerome still fit for purpose?

The away end at the eastern extremity of Adams Park wasn't as full as it had been on previous weekend excursions, but the 750 fans therein sure made their presence felt. Notable to this observer was the sheer weight of pro-Evatt chants - the manager was serenaded before any players, possibly because he was in the dugout before they emerged, but "We've got Super Ian Evatt" and "His first name is Ian" were the go-to chants all night. A surprise to those of us who've been led to believe in widespread fan disenchantment bordering on murderous revolution.

Bobby Charlton also got his name sung during a moment's applause; nice to hear, I suppose, although the petty parochialist within me noted without criticism that the singing was half-hearted and short-lived. Charlton was, according to all I know who met him, a lovely man, and it's nice that our rivalry with his team was set aside for a moment's warm decency - albeit one that stopped short of full-throated appreciation.

Evatt had made a couple of changes to the XI. Will Forrester had been perhaps unlucky to be rotated out at the weekend, but with Wycombe still a long-ball threat, he was rotated back in and Gethin Jones went to wing-back, with Randell Williams – who, let's be honest, is a hard-working winger rather than a natural wing-back - rested to the bench.

Perhaps surprisingly, Geth played on the right with Josh Dacres-Cogley switching left. Forrester played on the right of the back three, with Eoin Toal retaining Saturday's position to the left of Ricardo Santos. These are the decisions that need to be made when options arise.

The other change was to drop Aaron Morley for Paris Maghoma, the Brentford loanee formerly lent to Wycombe's Buckinghamshire rivals MK Dons.

With Santos carrying Bolton's take on the modish Roberto de Zerbi fashion for putting your studs on the ball to try to trigger a press, the first half started quietly – on the pitch, at least; the support from the east end remained loud – until Maghoma sparked into life. Rotating into space to demand the ball from his skipper, he turned on Rico's 15-yard vertical, drove onwards and hit a 20-yarder that had more accuracy than power, but the Pole-in-goal Max Stryjek could only double it over his line. Cue some antaganising of the home fans.

With Wanderers ahead, Josh Sheehan started to shine. His recent position at the base of Wanderers' midfield three may lose a little in defensive strength and restrict his access to the upper third, but it allows him to ping with pleasure – as he did in the 36th minute for Thomason to run onto; for once, a player in danger of earning the nickname Jigsaw didn't fall to pieces in the box, lobbing Stryjek to double the lead. You wait all your life for Bolton to score at Wycombe, then they do it again within 20 minutes.

A two-goal cushion was in no way unmerited for what many present and online called Wanderers' finest halves of football. We've been here before, though. Would Wanderers lose their edge? It didn't seem likely when Forrester celebrated a 46th-minute penalty-box sliding tackle like he'd won the lottery. But again, Wanderers came out after the restart hesitantly, and within three minutes Luke Leahy leathered the Choirboys to within a single goal.

Even after decades spending their hard-earned money and spare time watching football, many seem to forget there are two teams playing. In what can hardly be called a startling new tactic, Wycombe commenced to hit the gaps behind our wingbacks, pinning them back and reducing our outlets. Coupled with a hardly surprising hesitancy and redoubled by Wycombe gaining belief, Bolton started to back off.

Not all the way, mind. If we truly had retreated into our shell, nobody told Eoin Toal as he rampaged down the left wing within 10 yards of the corner flag. Although nerves were evident on pitch and in stand, it would be revisionist to say it was all Wycombe from then on; one Sheehan dribble and shot over Stryjek was agonisingly close to making it 3-1.

However, it was with a scrotum-shrinking sense of inevitability that the away fans watched Wycombe roll on the ageing cavalry of six-footers who'd done for us before –34-year-old Sam Vokes, whose header beat us in November 2021; 36-year-old Garath McCleary, who'd set up Lewis Wing's winner deep into first-half injury time this last February. They also chucked on 32-year-old 6ft 5in centre-back Ryan Tafazolli to ratchet up the threat from free kicks and corners – no League One team has scored more set-piece goals this term than Wycombe. Oh and some bloke called Sadlier, who was bound to score against us, right? Even if they play in him central midfield.

When the equaliser came, in the 82nd minute, it was of course from a set-piece, but it was from the other sub - 33-year-old David Wheeler mopping up a rebound after Baxter stopped the first effort from young West Ham loanee Freddie Potts (son of Steve; he can be seen on the video still holding his head in his hands for a full second after his team-mates celebrate in delight – see 1'18" below).



To make matters seem worse, as Wycombe prepared to take the corner Evatt had decided to roll the dice in his usual fashion: replacing Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo with whatever pocket lint floated into view. On this occasion it was Dan Nlundulu, hardly the man to turn to in a crisis, and Cameron Jerome, who can often feel not so much yesterday's man as 2016's. The double-sub went ahead to howls of disapproval from parts of the away end and, notably and visibly, Dion Charles himself.

Now, Dion had not had a good night. Not a sniff of goal; whack in the mush point-blank by a Stryjek clearance; given his increasingly usual short shrift by uncaring officials. Vic had been more in the thick of it, battling away but getting very little change. Neither had looked anything like scoring. But history teaches us that the same can be said about Dan 'n' Cam.

So what happened next? Perhaps strangely, Bolton grabbed the game by the balls. Demanding possession, the allegedly bottle-free Sheehan rolled around the final third on casters - if he had a left foot, and therefore could turn right without doing a 270-degree turn, he wouldn't be in this division. He was on a typical sideways run, parallel to the goal line and heading north at a rate of knots, when one of Wycombe's oxen flattened him to the turf. Inexplicably, the ref waved play on, but the away-end rage only simmered for a moment before being released in cathartic celebration.

For from a Sheehan right-side corner shortly thereafter, Eoin Toal soared above the assorted Chiltern buffalo to bonce a header high into the goal and create ecstasy. The 750 behind the goal went bonkers. Dion Charles, still not yet in his sub's coat presumably after continuing the argument he'd started with the staff on being substituted, sprinted down the line to jump on his new international team-mate. Vic too joined in, tapping his temples to order his comrades to concentrate.

Wycombe reloaded the howitzers but they came to nothing – one of them ended nearer the Bill Turnbull Press Box than its intended recipient – and then Baxter knocked it long, Geth flicked it on and Jerome managed to find an even older player, Richard Keogh, to outpace. Slowing as he entered the box, Jerome drew the foul and the penalty; Nlundulu grabbed the ball but on input from older heads agreed to hand over to Morley, who just about found Stryjek's bottom corner. Even this Bolton side would struggle to lose a two-goal lead in a minute plus extras. Probably.

If Evatt does know "exactly what we need" then he'll recognise we need to be less likely to wobble. Leagues are won by resoluteness as well as reaction; you can't always rely on scoring four away.

Question marks remain. Many we know about – the sub forwards, the recent mental brittleness even when in full control of the scoreline. Maghoma is a talented lad with an eye for the unusual, and seems happier than most of our midfielders to glide forward in possession; but a destroyer he is not, which makes him less of an answer to an obvious absence.

But let's not hide away from the balls shown here. If these truly were bottlers, we'd have lost. Instead, we got four new (league) goalscorers; added to Randell's weekend strike, that's nine different league scorers where last Friday we'd only had four. I'm reliably informed by the Legendary Flanners that it's our first (and, hey, second) goal after 70 minutes in the league this season. And one of them was caused by one of those substitutes we've all been banging on about.

Maybe things are looking up. Probably depends on your viewpoint anyway. After we beat Northampton I said this:

Everyone's happy.

We win, which pleases the optimists. But only just, which indulges the pessimists.

I've seen plenty of Wanderers teams that wouldnae have won that. I would like us to make it more like the first half more often. But it's a big W, a new goalscorer, and a team that started the day 6th and 7pts off the autos looks like ending it two places higher and two points nearer. Do that every "matchday" and we'll be fine by weekend.

Well, Oxford lost (cheers Wigan), and Pompey only drew. We're now only 2pts off second and the gap to Pompey has been cut to 6pts with a game in hand. It'll do for me for now.

[Worthy4England]

And Vic was straight out jabbing his index fingers into his temples, the internationally recognised sign for "concentrate". Wonderful togetherness.

Oh - that used to be "You've got a screw loose/mental" back in the day, so I was a bit confused!

You mean this one.....

[DJBlu]

Excellent piece DSB, thanks.

Josh Sheehan sums it up, "We don't like doing it easy do we?"

[dave the minion]

Out of interest, how did JDC do on the left?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Out of interest, how did JDC do on the left?

Not bad, not brilliant. I wouldn't say he was a revelation and we should tear up our expectations but I think he quietly did a solid job, and could do so again in future when needed. Again, gives us options.

He cut inside a lot when he got to the front third - which is fine in itself, Evatt has wanted his wide men to float is as "free 10s" for a couple of years now. They pinged balls into the corners behind behind him in the second half but that was the same on both sides – I certainly don't recall much threat down their right in the first, when they were coming towards us.

Some could therefore say "ah well how would he do against a decent oppo" but equally, as usual, maybejustmaybe they weren't very good because we wouldn't let them be. This is a Wycombe side who on Saturday traded blows to draw with Peterborough, who seem to be feared by many on here. This minimisation of our impact on affairs has happened since the start of the season, when opening-day rubbing-rags Lincoln were derided as useless: they're currently 9th, so maybe not so cack.

[Worthy4England]

Out of interest, how did JDC do on the left?

Not bad, not brilliant. I wouldn't say he was a revelation and we should tear up our expectations but I think he quietly did a solid job, and could do so again in future when needed. Again, gives us options.

He cut inside a lot when he got to the front third - which is fine in itself, Evatt has wanted his wide men to float is as "free 10s" for a couple of years now. They pinged balls into the corners behind behind him in the second half but that was the same on both sides – I certainly don't recall much threat down their right in the first, when they were coming towards us.

Some could therefore say "ah well how would he do against a decent oppo" but equally, as usual, maybejustmaybe they weren't very good because we wouldn't let them be. This is a Wycombe side who on Saturday traded blows to draw with Peterborough, who seem to be feared by many on here. This minimisation of our impact on affairs has happened since the start of the season, when opening-day rubbing-rags Lincoln were derided as useless: they're currently 9th, so maybe not so cack.

Yeah - I thought that he cut inside a lot from the left, but I didn't have him down as noticeably worse on the left than the right - was pretty happy with him overall on the left...

[dave the minion]

Good to hear.
Despite protestations by some on here that our recruitment is poor, I'd say he was a hell of a find: minimising the missing of Bradley, fit as a future, and able to operate in both sides...

[Mar]

Good to hear.
Despite protestations by some on here that our recruitment is poor, I'd say he was a hell of a find: minimising the missing of Bradley, fit as a future, and able to operate in both sides...

Recruitment's been decent in most areas and notably questionable in others. Mixed bag but better than January.

As for JDC being quite the find, it's hard to gauge as we've had a number of quality right backs in recent seasons that it's making me think its the system making them look good. Clearly JDC is looking the part. After all its a good pedigree to join with Kioso, Fossey and Bradley being key members.

Time will tell with the rest of the squad positions. Clearly we've got out concerns but theyre being alleviated. Win the catch up game and win at Charlton and we'll be right in the mix.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Wouldn’t the system mean we also had a number of great left-wingbacks? Which, to my memory, we haven’t.

No, to me it’s credit to the purchasing department on JDC (and the others) - with a plea to find similar quality on the other side…

[BWFC_Insane]

Wouldn’t the system mean we also had a number of great left-wingbacks? Which, to my memory, we haven’t.

No, to me it’s credit to the purchasing department on JDC (and the others) - with a plea to find similar quality on the other side…

Williams looks pretty good to me. The issue is more a lack of dedicated cover.

[officer_dibble]

Yeah Williams has been superb this season, as has JDC.

Gethin Jones played ok on Tuesday as well to be fair and I have been a critic this season.

Our recruitment problems lie up front and possibly midfield for me. I still like the look of Matheson as wing back cover - and at 21 needs to be getting games in men’s football. One for the cup game?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Wouldn’t the system mean we also had a number of great left-wingbacks? Which, to my memory, we haven’t.

No, to me it’s credit to the purchasing department on JDC (and the others) - with a plea to find similar quality on the other side…

Williams looks pretty good to me. The issue is more a lack of dedicated cover.

I like Randell a lot, but he's essentially a winger trying to track back. (He's also arguably as much a right-sider as a left-sider.)

Otherwise on the left it's not been great, throughout Evatt's tenure. John was good for a while, but other than that we've had some shockers, which has led to experiments like playing Dapo there. Didn't we try like eight different players there last season? We've had Greenidge, Brockbank, Gethin, Gordon, Ben Jackson, Beck, Isgrove, Sadlier, Iredale, Ashworth... they've not all been terrible, but none have (yet) made me think "well that's the solution right there."

Whereas, as Mar says, we've had several right-siders I'd've been glad to keep. I understand that 'lefties' is a shallower pool to fish from, but if it was systemic I'd expect a more equal number of impressive names.

And yes, the lack of cover has worried me for a while, as I made plain at the end of the last window. So I'm glad that JDC seems functional on that side.

[Mar]

Wouldn’t the system mean we also had a number of great left-wingbacks? Which, to my memory, we haven’t.

No, to me it’s credit to the purchasing department on JDC (and the others) - with a plea to find similar quality on the other side…

You would've thought so, but we've clearly focused a lot of our play down the right which has led to the left not being leveraged as much as the right. Williams does look good and John's looked good previously, but neither have yet to surpass how good the right side has looked.

[officer_dibble]

I quite liked Ben Jackson…probably not a wing back kind. Ashworth is our other option - he’s nowhere near the side either. Hence why JDC played there Tuesday! Infact Ashworths been that unimpressive I’m awaiting Ian telling us next summer he can turn him into the next Keiron Trippier…