Get to know Wycombe Wanderers with James Richings, Bucks/Marlow Free Press

This evening’s FA Cup tie represents only the second time we’ll face Wycombe Wanderers and our first visit to Adams Park in competitive action.

It’s also the second time we’ll meet the Chairboys in the space of four years in the fourth round of the FA Cup following a thriller at the same stage of the competition at White Hart Lane back in January, 2017.

That day, we looked to be heading for a classic cup shock as Wycombe, then in League Two, forged 2-0 ahead, were pinned back to 2-2 but then nicked a 3-2 lead with only six minutes remaining with us down to 10 men, as Kieran Trippier had earlier limped off injured after we’d made three substitutions. However, our 10 men dug deep, Dele levelled in the 89th minute and Heung-Min Son grabbed a dramatic late winner.

Now we meet again - and this time we face a Championship team following promotions under the management of Gareth Ainsworth, who has been in charge at Adams Park since 2012 and led his players so close to that victory at the Lane four years ago.

For further insight to the team from Buckinghamshire, we turned to James Richings, who follows the Chairboys’ fortunes closely as Wycombe Wanderers and Community Reporter covering Marlow and surrounding villages for the Bucks and Marlow Free Press.

This season

James: “This season has been something of an education for Wycombe Wanderers as they continue to experience Championship life. On 13 July, 2020, they achieved the impossible dream by earning promotion to the second tier of English football with the odds being stacked against them. Despite being top of League One throughout the winter months last season, their away form dripped prior to lockdown and despite having several games in hand before the seasons was cancelled, Wycombe fell out of the play-off places. But due to a points-per-game calculation, Wycombe were propelled into the play-offs and after defeating Fleetwood Town in the semi-finals over two legs, a 2-1 victory against their M40 rivals Oxford United at Wembley Stadium sent the town into a lockdown frenzy. This season, however, it has been a different story. Out of the 25 matches Wanderers have played so far this campaign in all competitions, they have only won four times, but two of those wins have come in their last two matches. They started off the campaign with seven defeats from their first seven league matches, where the Chairboys only scored three goals. But points against Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham slowly gave Wanderers that confidence, and with a win against Cardiff, along with draws verses QPR, Brentford, Huddersfield and Preston, Wanderers may be bottom of the table and 10 points from safety, but with two games in hand, who is to say that they can’t do the impossible for a second straight year?”

Draw reaction

James: “The reaction to getting Spurs in the draw as been met with excitement and disappointment. Of course, with Jose Mourinho’s men coming to Adams Park for the first time in their history (for a competitive match) the buzz on social media was evidently there to see. Fans were thrilled with the thought that the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale and Joe Hart - players who have played at the top level as well as international tournaments, could be playing at Wycombe’s 31-year-old stadium. However, why are fans disappointed? Because there will be no supporters in the ground to cheer on their heroes and watch some of the biggest names in world football in action. Some fans have even stood on the hill near the ground to watch Wanderers play, so it could be a similar scenario on Monday night!"

Set up

James: “Formation wise, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wanderers were to start with a 4-3-3, with either Ikpeazu or Akinfenwa up top. The formation has been working for the Chairboys in recent weeks as with a three-man midfield and three-man attack, the pressure this has caused against their most recent opposition has seen them score goals. It is just a case of whether they can keep it up, as Wanderers haven’t kept a clean sheet since the 0-0 draw against Huddersfield in November.”

Players to watch

James: “Despite being bottom of the table, there are several players that can cause Spurs a few problems. One of them is Josh Knight. The 23-year-old joined the club in October on a three-month loan deal from Leicester City and since being with Wanderers, he has started and completed every game for his new side. His performances have been so impressive that Wanderers have extended the contract until the end of the season. Another one to look out for is another new signing, Admiral Muskwe. The Zimbabwean, who is too on-loan from Leicester, joined this month and made his debut in the FA Cup win against Preston at the start of the month. He has brought a bit of fresh energy and pace into Wycombe’s attacking line up as they have struggled for goals all season, and despite only playing one game for the club, he looks like he will be part of Wycombe’s starting line-up in the weeks to come. Another one to look out for is Anis Mehmeti. The young striker joined on a free transfer last summer from Norwich and was originally part of the B Team. However, he has impressed Gareth Ainsworth and has played 10 games for the club this season - scoring once. He is quick, has a low centre of gravity and from when I have seen him play, he reminds me of Eden Hazard. Ainsworth is highly complementary of him.”

2017...

James: “Finally, the heartbreak of 2017 is still fresh in the memory of some of the Wycombe players who are still at the club (Jacobson, Kaskhket, Akinfenwa and Stewart) but with two promotions in that time, it’s fair to see that they have put the narrow defeat from four years ago behind them. Ainsworth has always said that he doesn’t look at revenge, so it will be interesting to see how he sets up against Jose’s men.”