2013 Prediction League; Game 15 (Wycombe Wanderers - home)

Div3North · 30-10-2013, 02:00

Accrington Stanley

V

Wycombe Wanderers

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 15; v Wycombe (home)

Bottom seven; last four games; points won (out of 12 possible):

Accrington Stanley (24th) – 8

; Plymouth (19th) – 5; Bury (20th) and York (18th) – 4; Northampton (23rd), Torquay (22nd) and Brizzle Rovers (21st) – 2; also playing crap – Wimbledon (15th) – 2; Mansfield (11th) and Chesterfield (4th) – 3; Morecambe (10th), Exeter (5th) and Fleetwood (3rd) – 4. Problem? What problem?

Why “The Chairboys”? Because there’s a history of chair-making in High Wycombe, and it used to be the nickname years ago, being revived in more recent times

……………..Trivia of the week? For 95 years, until 1990, they played at Loakes Park – now subsumed into the expansion to Wycombe General Hospital - which had an 11-foot slope from one touchline to the other

(shades of Yeovil’s famous old ground, although that sloped into the corner, if I remember……) Pub quiz question; how many teams based in Buckinghamshire have played in the Football League? Answer – just the one

……….Which is probably enough ……………

What is now Wycombe Wanderers was established in 1884 as North Town Wanderers, and they remained amateur for many years; in 1921 they joined the Isthmian League (which they won, in all, 8 times, as well as being second on 5 further occasions); several times they declined invitations to join what was then the Alliance Premier League (the Conference); eventually they did join (1985) and were promptly relegated

, but they were soon back (1987); in 1991/2 they missed promotion to the FL on goal difference to Colchester

(both sides getting 94 points, but the Us shading GD by 58/49), but the following year they did go up (as Conference Champions), and in their first season in the League they won promotion to what is now League One via the Playoffs, beating PNE 4-2 at Wembley

. Over the years – particularly recently – they’ve yo-yo’d a bit; relegated in 03/04, promoted 08/09, relegated 09/10, promoted 10/11, relegated 11/12.

Their most famous former player – so they claim – was Tony Horseman, who played up front between 1961 and 1978, making 749 appearances and scoring 416 times; also on their “Old Boys” list are a Birdseye (Paul), a Guppy (Steve), a McSporran (Jermaine) and a Betsy (Kevin) ………

Famous former managers include Martin O’Neill (who took them into the League, and turned down Notts Forest so he could see the Wycombe rise to its next level), John Gregory, Lawrie Sanchez, Tony Adams, John Gorman, Paul Lambert and Peter Taylor – few of whom, in truth, broke any pots …………….

Their mascot, I understand, is “Bodger” – described as “a ‘bloke with a big head’ thingy”; previously it had been “Bluey the Swan”, but he was “upped” one Sunday, apparently, and ain’t been seen since ……….

Their summer departures were headed by the Player/manager (Gareth Ainsworth), who hung up him boots and his zimmer frame

(well, he is 40!

) ; RW Dennis Oli (29) – ex QPR, Grays and Gillingham - left for the dizzy heights

of Havant and Waterlooville; AMF Joel Grant (25) went to Yeovil, and CB Dave Winfield (25) to Shrewsbury; in came FOUR centre forwards

– John-Paul Pittman (26), most recently of Oxford; Paris Cowan-Hall (23) from Plymouth; Steven Craig (32) from Partick Thistle; and – on loan – Billy Knott (20) from Sunderland, who presumably wanted to be as far away from Paulo di Shovover as he could get

……Recently they added Danish DMF Sebastian Steve Qvacoe Cann-Svard (30) – try printing that on the back of his shirt

- (I gather he answers to “Oi, You” which may be less polite but is also less expensive to print) – whose career includes six years at Arsenal (for whom he played three cup matches); Vitoria Guimaraes (Portugal), Borussia Monchengladbach I and II, Hansa Rostock, Roda JC and – most recently – Syrianska, who play in the Swedish “Allsvenskan” (First Division)

They went out of the League Cup (ok, the Capital One Cup) 2-1 at home to Leicester; in the Johnstone’s Paintbox they did Exeter 2-0 away, and Bristol City 2-1 at home; in the League they’re one game behind most people, their game against Portsmouth being abandoned, so it’s (home) W3 D1 L3, (away) W3 D1 L2, giving them P13 W6 D2 L5 F19 A16 for 20 points and 12th spot; their successes on the road have come at Hartlepool (2-1), Plymouth (3-0) and Brizzle Rovers (1-0) – all sides we’d expect to beat on current form

; they drew 2-2 at Oxford, and lost at the Wombles (1-0) and Rochdale (3-2). Leading scorers are striker Dean Morgan (30) – ex Colchester, Reading, Luton and Leyton Orient – with 5, and Paris C-H (Pompey, Grimsby, the Iron and Woking) and 20 year-old MF Max Kretschmar (home grown), who each have 3.

We finished up even-stevens last season – each winning away, and each time with a shut-out; in December they came to us (the crowd was 1050!

) and won 2-0; at the end of March we went to Adams Park and won 1-0, thanks to a 94th minute goal from Lee Molyneux

(who isn’t getting massive game-time at Crewe – wonder if he’d like to come back on loan?

Wonder if Linganzi would, too?

) That makes our record 4 wins each, with 2 draws, and still no game with more than three goals, and still no win by greater than 2-0 …………….. I feel a 7-4 coming on; What d’you think, Wynonie? Goalfest time?

The deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 2nd November; we’re on fire, they’re in mid-table, goal-a-game mode; could be a question of “who’s up for it most”? WE ARE – aren’t we lads?

………..’Cos if we lose this, someone will no doubt start on about sacking Beats and bringing back JC …………and that’s awfully, awfully boring ………….

Good luck to everyone ……..Remember; Passion overcome Logic ………..Keep the Faith! …………….. and thanks for playing!