Archived News from February 2006
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STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
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After being unluckily held at home to a 1-1 draw last Saturday against Macclesfield, the only side to beat Wycombe at home this season in the League, the Stags now travel to the 2000-01 FA Cup semi-finalists.
Prior to the home game on September 24, both sides came fresh from League Cup adventures. While the Stags then pulled off a giant-killing by ousting Championship side Southampton by the only goal of the game, the Chairboys were for 45 minutes close to one as they were leading against Premiership side Aston Villa (one that doesn't know how to beat the Stags in a league fixture) 3-1 at HT. But an injury to Tyson, an own goal and a dodgy penalty were instrumental things in the 2nd half revival of the Villa, who eventually turned out 8-3 winners, a scoreline that was a bit harsh on Wycombe. And that league home game in September was the Stags' first post-Carlton-Palmer-league fixture. The question asked by the previewer was if the Stags were to smash Wycombe's unbeaten (albeit with six draws) league record? Unluckily, they did not. A very poor first half saw the Stags being 0-3 down at HT, but in the second half were close to a draw, but lost to a 2-3 scoreline. And the Wycombe unbeaten league record lasted up to the last minute at Bury just before Christmas. And the Chairboys haven't won any of their last four league ties, albeit three being drawn, among them a 1-1 home draw against Stockport, achieved in the last minute, Wycombe's latest home game. But the Stags' latest away fixture was definitely one to forget, as they succumbed at Darlington to a 4-0 scoreline. Last season, the sides drew 1-1 at Wycombe, while the Chairboys at Field Mill proved why they had a good away record by winning 4-1 in Stagsland, thus incurring the Stags' highest home defeat despite leading 1-0, all the goals coming in the second half. And two players now starring for the Stags, Birchall and Uhlenbeek, played for the Chairboys last season. Birchall in the 1-1 game at Wycombe, when he scored the Chairboys' equalizer, Uhlenbeek in the game at Field Mill, when he scored Wycombe's third. The teams also met in the FA Cup 2nd round in 2003-04. After drawing 1-1 at Wycombe in front of the TV cameras, the Stags kayoed the Chairboys in the replay at home thanks to a 90th minute Liam Lawrence penalty. That game might have been billed: Liam Lawrence 3, Wycombe Wanderers 2, as Liam first had sent the Stags 1-0 up, then in the second half equalized to 2-2 thanks to another pen. Before the 2000-01 season, when Wycombe reached the semi-finals narrowly losing 1-2 to Liverpool at Villa Park (after beating Harrow Borough, Millwall, Grimsby, Wolves, Wimbledon and Leicester) the Chairboys reached the 3rd round in 1993-94, 1994-95 and as a non-league side in 1974-75, then holding Division One Middlesbrough to a 0-0 draw at home before going out 0-1 in the replay at Ayresome Park. And as early as 1932-33, Wycombe reached the FA Cup 1st round for the first time. Then they held Gillingham to a 1-1 away draw before going out 2-4 at home. And in 1959-60, Wycombe won their first FA Cup 1st round game by disposing of Wisbech 4-2 before crashing out 1-5 at Watford in the 2nd round. In 1973-74, Wycombe accounted for their first league victim as a non-league side by beating Newport County 3-1 at home before going out against another well-known giant-killer, Peterborough 1-3 at home. An interesting fact as well is that both Wycombe and Mansfield faced Leicester in the quarter-finals of both clubs' longest cup runs. While Wycombe won 2-1 at Filbert Street on March 10, 2001, the Stags lost 0-1 at home on March 8, 1969. Both clubs have also met West Ham at home. While the Mighty Stags stuffed the Hammers 3-0 on February 26, 1969, the Chairboys lost 0-2 at home in the 3rd round on January 7, 1995. For the record, the longest FA Cup runs of both sides: Stags in 1968-69: 1st round Tow Law 4-1 (home, scorers Ledger (2), Keeley, Sharkey); 2nd round Rotherham 2-2 (away, scorers Keeley, Sharkey), 2nd round replay Rotherham 1-0 (home, scorer: Ledger), 3rd round Sheffield United 2-1 (home, scorer Roberts D (2)), 4th round Southend 2-1 (home, scorers Sharkey, Roberts D), 5th round West Ham 3-0 (home, scorers Keeley, Roberts D, Sharkey), QF Leicester 0-1 (home). Chairboys in 2000-01: 1st round Harrow Borough 3-0 (home, scorers Bates 2, Simpson), 2nd round Millwall 0-0 (away), 2nd round replay Millwall (2-1 home, scorers Rammell, McCarthy), 3rd round Grimsby 1-1 (home, scorer McCarthy), 3rd round replay Grimsby 3-1 (away, scorers McCarthy, Simpson, Rogers), 4th round Wolverhampton 2-1 (home, scorers Rammell, Parkin), 5th round Wimbledon 2-2 (home, scorers Simpson, Brown), 5th round replay Wimbledon 1-1, 8-7 on penalties (away, scorer Carroll in normal time), QF Leicester 2-1 (away, scorers McCarthy, Essendoh), SF Liverpool 1-2 (at Villa Park, scorer Ryan). Both sides disposed of non-league opposition as well as Division 2 (old) and Division 1 (old) and current Championship as well as, in Wycombe's case, former Premier League sides (Leicester) during the record-breaking cup runs in 1968-69 and 2000-01 as the stats above show. Played for both sides: Adam Birchall, Matthew Carmichael, Gerald Darvill, Richard Harris, Iffy Onoura, Gustav Uhlenbeek, Danny Wallace. League games: Home: P 4, W 1, D 1, L 2, GF 6, GA 7 Away: P 3, W 0, D 2, L 1, GF 4, GA 5 Season Home Date Away Date 1993-94 3-0 1994-02-12 0-1 1994-01-25 Div 3 2002-03 0-0 2003-01-11 3-3 2002-08-17 Div 2 2004-05 1-4 2005-02-22 1-1 2004-10-23 League Two 2005-06 2-3 2005-09-24 (at Field Mill) League Two FA Cup: 2003-04 1-1 2003-12-05 2nd round at Adams Park, Wycombe 2003-04 3-2 2003-12-16 2nd round replay at Field Mill Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right) |
Latest | February 2006