Report: Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 Iron

The Iron’s search for a win at Adams Park continues as Wycombe Wanderers came from two goals down claim a 3-2 victory.

United raced out of the blocks and were 2-0 up inside eight minutes at Adams Park, with Ryan Colclough and Stephen Humphrys both adding to their goal tallies for the campaign. 

However, that deficit was wiped out by ten minutes into the second half. It was 2-1 at half-time following Dominic Gape’s spectacular strike from the edge of the area before Fred Onyedinma’s equally impressive strike drew the Chairboys level. Former Iron loanee Paris Cowan-Hall thought he’d completed the turnaround ten minutes from time but his goal was ruled out for an earlier foul, while goalkeeper Ryan Allsop was shown a straight red card soon after for bringing down Ugbo just outside the penalty area.

Craig Mackail-Smith then seized possession just inside the attacking half to slot home after four minutes of the allotted nine added onto the end of the game to clinch all three points.

Heading into the game, Stuart McCall made three changes from his side’s defeat at home to Peterborough United seven days prior, with Matthew Lund (ankle ligaments), Josh Morris (fractured jaw) and Lee Novak making way for James Perch, Andy Dales and George Thomas.

It was the Iron who kicked off the game in tremendous fashion, netting the opener after just 21 seconds. Thomas, fresh from his second senior Wales cap in midweek got the game underway, with Humphrys driving forward through the centre of the pitch. The ball found Colclough on the left, with the former Wigan Athletic forward wriggling his way into the box before checking onto his right foot and slotting the ball low beyond Ryan Allsop in the Chairboys’ net.

Four minutes in and Humphrys was looking dangerous again following a hasty clearance from the Wycombe backline. He attempted to find an opening from 20 yards out but saw his left-footed effort blocked.

The host’s first sight of goal came on six minutes when a ball came into the penalty area from the right. Mackail-Smith won the challenge with a diving header, but Rangers loanee Jak Alnwick was content the effort was going wide of the target as he shielded the ball beyond his post.

It took just a further two minutes for United to double their lead. Funso Ojo provided the defence-splitting ball for Andy Dales to run onto with the midfielder doing brilliantly to check onto his right foot and take the chasing defender out of the game, leaving the ball for the onrushing Humphrys to slot low into the corner of the net for his fifth of the season in all competitions.

James Perch had the next effort of the game on 15 minutes as Jordan Clarke and Dales combined well down the right. The latter saw his cross cleared only as far as the former Nottingham Forest midfielder who controlled the ball from 25-yards before driving an effort not too far over the crossbar.

On 18 minutes, Scunthorpe came close to a third when Colclough steamed past his marker before sliding the ball across the area. Humphrys came near post, Dales went far post and somehow the hosts scrambled the ball out for a corner.

United were running riot in attack with Clarke and Dales both combining down the right once more. The former Mickleover Sports player floated in a cross for Humphrys, who saw his goalbound header saved well by Allsop before he placed the rebound just over the bar.

Despite the Iron’s early dominance, the deficit was halved on 27 minutes as Gape, who had just received the first yellow card of the game for a rash tackle on Colclough, smashed the ball into the top corner of the net from 18-yards out following Adebayo Akinfenwa’s tee-up.

2-1 could’ve been 2-2 almost straight away with former loanee Cowan-Hall finding space on the edge of the area to curl in a low shot which Jak Alnwick did well to push away from goal as he dived low to his left. 

Dales became the second addition into the referee’s notebook for a cynical foul on the left side just after the half-hour mark, with goalscorer Gape controlling the cleared free-kick from 35-yards before sending a looping half volley well wide of the target.

On 35 minutes, Akinfenwa headed over the bar for the hosts, but was also penalised for a foul on Perch following a near post flick on from a Wycombe corner.

The last ten minutes of the first period, inclusive of three added minutes, saw the game settle down to a point with no further chances of note from either team.

No changes were made by either team at the interval and the Iron threatened to start as quickly as they did in the first half with Colclough and Dales interchanging before firing the ball into Humphrys. He turned, but was snuffed out by the home defence as he looked to work an angle for a shot. 

On 50 minutes, Alnwick was called into action to keep the Iron ahead after a low cross into the box from the left took a couple of ricochets before the ball looked to be sneaking inside the post only for the Scunthorpe goalkeeper to save and see the ball around the post for a corner.

Four minutes later and the hosts drew themselves level. The ball was spread to the left to Onyedinma, who cut onto his right foot and planted a terrific effort into the top corner of the net, leaving Alnwick with no chance.

The equaliser prompted manager McCall into making his first alteration of the game, introducing Ike Ugbo for Dales.

United nearly regained the lead instantly on two occasions, with Colclough battling his way into the area before seeing his cross cleared while searching for the substitute who returned from Chelsea in the week following a hamstring injury. Soon after, it was Akinfenwa nearly putting through his own net as Charlie Goode rose highest following a corner, heading across goal, with the Chairboys target man clipping the crossbar with his header towards his own goal.

Just after the hour mark, Cowan-Hall saw a gap just outside the area to unleash a shot for the hosts, but he saw his effort drag well wide of the target. There was a delay of around five minutes shortly after following a clash of heads between Goode and Onyedinma saw both require treatment, but both were able to continue.

On 74 minutes, the hosts saw a penalty appeal turned down as Akinfenwa went down in the box following a collision with Goode, but referee Alan Young was unmoved from his position, showing his disinterest in the claims.

Two minutes later, the Iron were forced to deal with a couple of Wycombe corners from the right, the first turned away by Ojo before the second saw Akinfenwa head over the bar.

On 80 minutes, Wycombe had the ball in the net through Cowan-Hall as he slotted the ball into an unguarded net, but the referee spotted an infringement on Alnwick - who had come to claim the ball - but Akinfenwa.

Just moments later, the Chairboys were reduced to ten men when Ugbo seized on a mistake by the Wycombe back line to race through and be brought down outside the area by Allsop, who was duly shown a straight red card by referee Alan Young.

There was another hefty stoppage while Yves Ma-Kalambay readied himself as replacement in between the sticks, with Cowan-Hall the player to make way. From the resultant free-kick, the ball was cleared to the edge of the box for Colclough who saw his low, powerful drive flash just wide of the post.

Nine minutes of added time were indicated by the fourth official following three second half stoppages, with Akinfenwa almost providing the spectacular inside the first of those minutes as he struck the ball from 20-yards with the outside of his right foot. The ball curled towards goal, narrowly wide of the post as Alnwick dived to his right.

The comeback was complete though four minutes into stoppage time as Mackail-Smith raced through the middle to slot beyond Alnwick.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS: Allsop, Jacobson, Gape, El-Abd, Mackail-Smith (Williams, 90+5), Cowan-Hall (Ma-Kalambay, 84), Harriman, Thompson, Onyedinma, Akinfenwa, McCarthy.

UNUSED SUBS: Jombati, Saunders, Kashket, Morris, Samuel.

IRON: Alnwick, Clarke, Borthwick-Jackson, Ojo, Humphrys, Dales (Ugbo, 55), Perch, Thomas, Goode, McArdle, Colclough.

UNUSED SUBS: Flatt, Horsfield, Lewis, Burgess, Sutton, Butroid.