“The Morecambe fans were superb!” So were their team: in the first half…
Morecambe made the long journey to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire today to face another team – following their earlier clashes with Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday – which were relegated just last season from the Championship. Before the game at Adams Park, Wycombe were sixth in League One: Morecambe eleventh. Both teams have lost two and won two of their last five league games, including midweek victories for Wanderers by the odd goal in three at Shrewsbury and a 2-0 victory over an excellent Lincoln side for the Shrimps back at home in North Lancashire. The Chairboys were three points better-off than their visitors in the League One table but – crucially – had also played a game less: just nine instead of most other clubs’ ten.
I’ve discovered a website called Destination Scanner which is absolutely scathing about High Wycombe as a place to live:
“High Wycombe’s town centre – loud, some crime, not very pretty or peaceful, densely populated & unfriendly people. Desborough Road, Hughenden Road & Eaton Avenue – high crime rates, organized crime gangs, prostitution and drugs use make these very unsafe and unhappy places to live.”
Blimey! I wonder what it says about Morecambe? (Nothing apparently…)
Anyway, Wycombe’s multi-dimensional and extremely charismatic Manager, Gareth Ainsworth, cycled from his house to Wanderers’ training ground at Marlow Road on Thursday of this week due to the fuel crisis. Nobody attacked him or tried to steal his bike – as far as I know. But seriously though – well done that man – particularly given the Blackburn lad’s own struggles with spinal injuries which left him thankfully only temporarily numb from the waist down not too many moons ago. Whilst he was at Marlow Road, Mr Ainsworth said the following about today’s game:
“Morecambe are definitely a team we’ve struggled against down the years. Every time we’ve got close to achieving something, along come Morecambe to put a spanner in the works! They’re a good team and they’ve turned some big names over already this season, so do not underestimate them. People did that to us when we reached League One, and we got some good results that people didn’t think we were capable of. I’ve asked the boys to give me maximum points if we want to achieve something this season. To beat Morecambe at home is a big ask but we’ll be working really hard to work out what we’re going to do, and what plan to put in place to deal with their strengths.”
I wouldn’t dream of arguing with Gareth personally but I think that Wycombe’s record against the Shrimps is a particularly good one. In the eighteen games in the EFL they have played over the years, Wanderers have won half of them and only lost four. I remember years ago – 1993 – when the Chairboys met Morecambe for the first time ever in an FA Trophy game which went to a replay which the Shrimps lost, Wanderers’ then Manager Martin O’Neill saying that the club from North Lancashire were by far the best team his side had played so far that season. But I also have a memory of their current Manager standing throughout one of their wins at what was then the Globe Arena with his trademark long hair disappearing into a very stylish full-length leather coat. The fact that he was actually Player-Coach at the time was betrayed only by the fact that football boots and socks poked out from under the coat in a quite incongruous sort of way…
But I digress… For his part, Opposite Number Stephen Robinson said about Wycombe prior to the match:
“They have to be credited. They’ve come down from the Championship, they’re spending a lot of money, they’ve put a very, very good squad, experienced squad together, so we’re under no illusions. They’ve got a game in hand, which could put them in the top four if they win that game, so it’s going to be a big test for us. If we show the character that we have done in the last two games, then we’ll be okay, but this is going to be one of our toughest tests so far.”
Robbo recently outlined what seems to me at least to be his pretty unique strategy as a football manager. He had divided the season’s campaign into Five Year Plans – sorry, that’s Socialism, isn’t it? – into Five Game Blocks upon which he focuses all his attention. Today’s is apparently the first of the next five blocks of games the boss had delineated using this method. As far as the last five (Won 2; Lost 2) is concerned, he explained:
“When you lost the first two, nothing changes – you still need to win two games from that block and the rest is a bonus.”
So – unless I have misunderstood him – his calculation is that to survive in League One, Morecambe need to win only two out of every five games they play with every other win or draw being a bonus. To look at it another way, it’s effectively a succession of mini-leagues within a much bigger competition. Mathematically, this makes a lot of sense. But there is a psychological reason for it as well according to Mr Robinson:
“It just keeps things level in a world where social media dictates everything, where you are (portrayed as being either) absolutely rubbish or you are brilliant.”
Excellent point.
“We just try and keep some medium feeling where it is neither. We are a good side that are improving all the time – but we will make mistakes. It (the block of five games concept) keeps you level and I am happy to go with it.”
So would today’s contest turn out to be a one in five plus – or a one in five minus? Who would come out on top in the battle of the centre Forwards – would (Sam) Vokes’ Wagon keep rolling? Or would Europe’s leading scorer, Cole Stockcar – Stockton rather – cruise even further ahead in the goal-scoring stakes? (Am I supposed to say `see what I did there?’ now, Mr Editor? Pardon? Well – there’s no need to be like that…)
It was wet and quite cold as the match kicked-off at Adams Park at three o’clock after sometimes torrential rain had fallen overnight and for most of the day up to that point. Despite the soaking it had received, the pitch was a credit to the Chairboys’ groundsmen – er, women – er, people – you know: the people who work on it – the surface was like a billiard table when the game started.
Morecambe kicked-off and the visiting fans were drowning-out the home supporters with their loud vocal encouragement even before the team they were backing scored after just three minutes. Arthur Gnahoua was fouled and Adam Phillips took a free-kick which was headed clear. The ball found its way to Alfie McCalmont just outside the area. His seemingly mis-hit shot bobbled from his thigh past a flat-footed goalkeeper in the shape of David Stockdale across the greasy surface into the back of the net for the softest of goals for the Shrimps and Alfie’s first for the club.
A lot of recent goals for Wycombe have been scored after good work down their left flank and Joe Jacobson and Jordan Obita were soon trying to work their magic in this department again – to no effect. The Morecambe defence were clearly prepared for this and kept a tight rein on them whilst being instrumental in regularly setting-up counter attacks in which Cole the Goal constantly caused problems for the home defence. Jacobson has scored a lot of goals directly from corner kicks over the years and he forced visiting goalkeeper Kyle Letheren to confidently punch away another one swerving into his top corner after a quarter of an hour. Shortly afterwards, Stockdale played a clearance directly to Gnahoua who immediately dispatched it to an unmarked Phillips who was perfectly placed to increase Morecambe’s lead. Instead of belting it, he tried to place the ball and the home goalkeeper redeemed himself with a tremendous save to keep the lead down to a single goal. After twenty-one minutes, he hit another free-kick at goal but it was fielded by Stockdale on this occasion without too much trouble. Anthony Stewart then wasted a glorious chance to equalise for Wanderers after twenty-five minutes when he blasted a lovely ball from Jacobson which had been headed by Sam Vokes right into his path wildly over the bar. Morecambe immediately charged up the field, Gnahoua and Stockton combined well only for Cole the Goal to unselfishly set-up Phillips to atone for his earlier misses with a controlled finish past a helpless Stockdale. Cole managed to slip his marker with about half an hour on the clock and took a shot which – unusually for him in recent times – missed the target. As the rain continued to hammer down, another attempt from Stockton was blocked before he buried the ball a minute later only to be flagged off-side. At the other end, Opposite Number Vokes had a free header from a Jacobson corner but completely missed the target to the obvious and loud delight of the visiting fans. The impressive Liam Gibson then galloped down the Morecambe left almost at the end of the half and took a shot which was brilliantly saved by the home goalkeeper.
So at half time – with Morecambe adapting to the monsoon conditions far better than their hosts – the team from Lancashire went back to the dressing rooms with a deserved two-goal lead, very few scares at the back and the singing of their own supporters echoing all around Adams Park.
Whatever Gareth Ainsworth said to his men at half-time quickly had a huge effect on the game. Only five minutes had been played when Daryl Horgan was not closed-down and took a speculative shot from a long way out which just might have taken a touch off Scott Wootten before slipping agonisingly under Letheren’s body into the net. With their tails suddenly up, the Chairboys soon threatened again when Curtis Thompson hit Garath McCleary’s pass just over the target shortly afterwards. Then everything went completely pear-shaped for the visitors after 52 minutes when Vokes equalised for the home team with an unmarked header which Letheren might have done better to keep out. The home team poured forward again and the Welshman between the away sticks redeemed himself to some extent when he pulled-off a fantastic save low to his right to stop Wycombe taking the lead with a good shot from Horgan after fifty-five minutes. Slowly, though, the shell-shocked Shrimps began to recover. McCalmont’s attempt from a corner was well blocked by the home defence after 57 minutes and just a minute later, Ryan Delaney’s header from Gibson’s cross only just missed the home goal. As the rain continued to pour down, Josh Scowen then managed to block Gnahoua’s attempt after 62 minutes before Vokes missed with a shot at the other end just two minutes later. The Wycombe danger man was becoming more and more of a headache for the Shrimps particularly from long balls over the top or direct from their goalkeeper. As the visitors’ rearguard looked increasingly disorganised, substitute Brandon Hanlan then hit the post with a prodded effort after 72 minutes. The warning signs had been there for some time before the turn-about in fortunes was completed when Jacobson then scored direct from a corner-kick just a minute later. As if things weren’t already bad enough, Stephen Robinson was then sent-off by Referee Tom Reeves with seventy-four minutes on the clock for protesting too vigorously that he thought his goalkeeper had been fouled as the third Chairboys’ goal went in. A Ryan Tafazolli header was then blocked three minutes later before Horgan only just missed with a low shot a few moments afterwards. But a last throw of the dice for the visitors saw Jonah Ayunga replace Arthur Gnahoua with just twelve minutes left. Virtually the first thing the substitute did was put the Shrimps back onto level terms when his effort was deflected over a stranded Stockdale into the back of the Chairboys’ net after eighty minutes. As the home crowd fell silent again, Delaney’s shot was blocked by the home defence after 83 minutes before Vokes headed Jason McCarthy’s cross wide a minute later at the other end of the field. Ayunga wasted a great opportunity when his shot was saved but he might have passed to a better-placed and furious Stockton instead during injury time. Wycombe wasted no time moving the ball up the field from this wasted chance and all of Morecambe’s hard work was undone as Thompson fairly belted a shot past Letheren into the top corner of the net in the third minute of extra time to snatch victory for Wanderers from the very jaws of defeat.
So that was it – an ultimately disappointing loss after a tremendously disciplined performance from the Shrimps during the first half. Wycombe’s One Hundred Percent record at Adams Park this season was pulled back out of the Dustbin of History right at the end of the game. Did they deserve it? Who can say? Morecambe were undone by poor defending against Route One balls from the back far too often during the second half this afternoon. Better discipline during this period – both on and off the field – might well have yielded at least a point against a Wanderers side with a simple Plan A: to get the ball up to Sam Vokes and leave the rest up to him. Today, it worked: eventually. And in all truth, perhaps at least a little fortuitously.
The loss pushed Morecambe into possibly appropriately unlucky thirteenth position In League One. One match down; four left to redeem Robbo’s current Block Of Five. A clearly bitterly disappointed Stephen was honest enough to admit that – having got all the basics right in the first half – his men then got them all wrong in the second. “You can’t score three goals away from home and lose the game” he said afterwards. Gareth Ainsworth must be an equally very relieved man to see his club sitting in a place barely even imaginable at half-time today: amongst the Play-Off contenders as the fifth club in the table at the end of the match. To be fair, he was very magnanimous in victory, saying after the game:
“This is the best squad I’ve ever had. Performances like that should bring the crowds back because that was entertainment until the last kick. I want to applaud the Morecambe fans because they were superb. It was a great atmosphere. What a finish.”
Wycombe Wanderers: 13 David Stockdale; 3 Joe Jacobson; 5 Anthony Stewart; 6 Ryan Tafazolli; 8 Curtis Thompson; 9 Sam Vokes; 12 Garath McCleary (7 David Wheeler 94’); 17 Daryl Horgan (19 Anis Mehmeti 88’); 23 Jordan Obita (18 Brandon Hanlan 71’); 26 Jason McCarthy; 28 Josh Scowan.
Subs Not Used: 31 Adam Przybek; 2 Jack Grimmer; 16 Sullay Kaikai; 20 Adebayo Akinfenwa.
Morecambe: 1 Kyle Letheren; 2 Ryan McLaughlin (21 Ryan Cooney 63’); 4 Anthony O’Connor (C); 8 Toumani Diagouraga; 9 Cole Stockton; 15 Ryan Delaney; 18 Adam Phillips (6 Callum Jones 70’); 22 Liam Gibson; 24 Arthur Gnahoua (17 Jonah Ayunga 78’); 25 Alfie McCalmont; 31 Scott Wootten.
Subs Not Used: 20 Jökull Andrésson; 7 Wes McDonald; 11 Josh McPake; 16 Jacob Mensah.
Ref: Tom Reeves.
Att: 4,161 (about 200 wonderful Morecambe fans)
