Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
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| Wycombe Wanderers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Wycombe Wanderers Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | The Blues The Chairboys |
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| Founded | 1887 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Adams Park Hillbottom Road High Wycombe Bucks (Capacity 10,000) |
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| Chairman |  Ivor Beeks |
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| Manager | Peter Taylor |
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| League | League Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | League Two, 7th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, currently playing in Football League Two, and managed by former Leicester City and England Under-21 chief Peter Taylor. Their nickname is "The Blues" or "The Chairboys", and they play in light blue and dark blue quarters. The name of Wycombe's ground is Adams Park.
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[edit] History
The club was founded in 1887 by a group of furniture-makers, and settled at Loakes Park in High Wycombe in 1895. From 1896 they played in the Southern League, but had little success in a league dominated by professional teams. They moved to the Great Western Suburban League in 1908 and to the Spartan League after the First World War. After winning the Spartan League they joined the Isthmian League in 1921. Although they won the FA Amateur Cup in 1931 it would be 1956 before they won the first of eight Isthmian League titles.
In 1985 they were promoted to the Football Conference (then the Gola League), and though they only lasted one season they were promoted again at the first attempt. Two important changes occurred in 1990: the Chairboys left Loakes Park for a new home at Adams Park, and Martin O'Neill was appointed manager. Under O'Neill they won the FA Trophy twice and were eventually promoted to The Football League in 1993 following a bad-tempered campaign alongside Roy McDonough's Colchester side in 1991-92. They were an immediate success in the League, winning promotion in their first season, beating Preston in the play-off final at Wembley and then narrowly missing out on the Division Two playoffs in their second due to number changes caused by the introduction of the FA Premier League.
Martin O'Neill left the club for what would turn out to be a short tenure at Norwich in 1995, and the side became, at best, mid-table performers in Division Two. The club tasted more success under the guidance of Lawrie Sanchez as they enjoyed an epic FA Cup run in 2000-01 which saw them reach the semi-final where they were beaten by Liverpool 2-1 at Villa Park, Keith Ryan scoring the Chairboys' goal. However, Sanchez was sacked just a few months into the 2003-04 season after a terrible start that saw the club near the bottom of the table. His successor was former Arsenal and England defender Tony Adams but he was unable to save Wycombe's season and they were relegated in 2004, joining Football League Two for its first season under that name.
Their first season in League Two saw a change of manager as John Gorman took charge of the club after a brief spell as caretaker manager the previous season. Wycombe finished the season in 10th place. However, a 21-match unbeaten start to the 2005-06 campaign saw them lead the division for a considerable amount of time.
During the second half of the season, the club was rocked by two setbacks. On the 14 January 2006, whilst a match against Notts County was in progress, 21 year old midfielder Mark Philo, who had made 19 appearances for the club, died in hospital after a car crash the previous night. His manager, John Gorman, paid tribute to him by saying, "He was a fantastic kid. He lived for football and always had a smile on his face." Just a few weeks later, Gorman's wife Myra died after a long illness, leading to him taking a period of compassionate leave away from the club.
Around this time Wycombe went on a six-match losing run, seeing them drop out of the automatic promotion challenge, finishing in 6th. They were eventually defeated 2-1 on aggregate by Cheltenham Town in the play-off semi-finals. It was later announced that Gorman had been relieved of his duties as the club's manager as the Wycombe board did not believe that he was in the right condition to manage the club (he then took up the vacant position at Northampton Town a few days later). After a five-week search, the club announced that the former Celtic captain Paul Lambert was to be the new manager having ended a managerial spell at Livingston that season.
The 2006-07 season began well with Wanderers winning 11 of their first 22 games and progressing into the Semi-Finals of the Carling Cup beating teams including Fulham and Charlton Athletic of the FA Premiership -- the first time the club has lasted past the Second Round of the League Cup competition and the first time a team from the bottom tier has reached that stage since Chester City F.C. in the 1974-75 season. This gives Wycombe the distinction of being the only club to make it to at least the semi final of the major Professional and Amateur cups. The team also defeated local rivals Oxford United in the FA Cup, but lost to Stockport County in the second round.
On December 19, 2006, they reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup after winning away to Charlton Athletic 1-0, with 4,500 Blues fans making the journey. They were drawn against Chelsea, and heroically held the champions to a 1-1 draw at Adams Park in the first leg. Unfortunately for the Wanderers, in the return leg on January 23, 2007, Chelsea won 4-0 at Stamford Bridge to win 5-1 on aggregate[1].
Whilst undoubtedly a heroic achievement, the cup run, along with injuries to key players, contributed to a falling away of league form. For the second successive season, the club's promotion challenge faltered, and a run of eleven League games without a win (and four straight defeats) at the end of the season meant that Wanderers could only finish in 12th place.
The summer saw a considerable rebuilding of the playing squad, and Wycombe started the 2007–08 season with eleven new signings. Early form was inconsistent as the new players took time to settle - progress in the League was steady rather than spectacular, and the club went out of all the Cup competitions at the first hurdle. In addition, the leading goalscorer from the previous season, Jermaine Easter, became unsettled at the club, and was eventually sold to Plymouth Argyle for an initial fee of £210,000.
The turning point was a 6-0 reverse at Stockport County in December. Following this, the club put together a run of four successive League wins, and climbed into the play-off positions on Boxing Day. A more consistent second half of the season saw the play-off position maintained, and Wanderers came up against Stockport County again in the semi-finals at the end of the season. A 1-1 draw in a tense and physical first leg at Adams Park was followed by a narrow and unfortunate 1-0 defeat at Edgeley Park, to end the club's hopes of promotion for another season.
Three days after the play-off defeat, it was announced that Paul Lambert had resigned from his position as manager, stating that "the time has come for me to move on". At a press conference on May 29, 2008 Peter Taylor was announced as Wycombe's new manager.
[edit] Rivalry
Wycombe's main rivals are considered to be Colchester United. Whilst not a local rivalry, there is a history between the two clubs going back to the 1985/86 season, when Wycombe, then a non-league club, defeated Colchester 2-0 in an FA Cup tie marred by crowd trouble at Loakes Park.
Colchester and Wycombe were also involved in a two-horse race for the Conference title throughout the 1991/92 season, during which Colchester defeated Wycombe 2-1 at Adams Park with an injury-time wind-assisted winner from their goalkeeper, Scott Barrett.
Another controversial meeting was during the 1998/99 season. Relegation-threatened Wycombe were leading Colchester 2-1 at Adams Park until the ninth minute of stoppage time, when Colchester were awarded, and converted, an equalising penalty.
Rivalries against more local clubs such as Reading, Watford, and Oxford United are less passionate, mainly because Wycombe do not have a long history of playing these clubs on a regular basis. Last season saw the emergence of new rivals in Milton Keynes Dons, and because of the nature of their arrival as the second Football League team in Buckinghamshire, as the relocated successors to the old Wimbledon club, rivalry has been fast to grow. The clubs are also regular co-finalists for the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup.
Wycombe's chief rivals as a non-league club were generally considered to be Slough Town. The two clashes during the Conference title-winning season of 1992/93 drew crowds of 7,230 (at Wycombe), and 4,500 (at Slough).
[edit] Fans
The club has a fanbase of around 4,500 supporters who consistently watch home league games, of which four hundred or so regularly travel away. However, in common with most other clubs, these figures rise considerably for big Cup matches and local derbies.
There are two elected fan representatives on the club board, one from each of the two Supporters Trusts.
Famous fans include sports commentator Alan Parry, who has served as a director of the club, and is currently Head of Media and Public Relations, news presenter Bill Turnbull, and former Doctor Who actor Colin Baker. Actor Warren Clarke was a season ticket holder in the early 1990's.
[edit] Players
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] History
- 1896-97 - Joined Southern League Division Two
- 1908-09 - Joined Great Western Suburban League
- 1919-20 - Joined Spartan League
- 1921-22 - Joined Isthmian League after two successive Spartan League titles
- 1930-31 - FA Amateur Cup Winners
- 1953-54 - Missed runner-up spot in Isthmian League on goal average
- 1955-56 - Isthmian League Champions
- 1956-57 - Isthmian League Champions (2nd time); FA Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1957-58 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1959-60 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1969-70 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1970-71 - Isthmian League Champions (3rd time)
- 1971-72 - Isthmian League Champions (4th time)
- 1973-74 - Isthmian League Champions (5th time)
- 1974-75 - Isthmian League Champions (6th time) (on goal average)
- 1975-76 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1976-77 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1981-82 - FA Trophy semi-finalists
- 1982-83 - Isthmian League Champions (7th time)
- 1985-86 - Joined Alliance Premier League, relegated after one season
- 1986-87 - Rejoined Isthmian League; Isthmian League Champions (8th time)
- 1987-88 - Rejoined Conference (ex-Alliance Premier League)
- 1990-91 - FA Trophy Winners
- 1991-92 - Conference runner-up (missed title and promotion to Football League on goal difference)
- 1992-93 - Conference Champions; FA Trophy Winners (2nd time); Promoted to Football League Division Three
- 1993-94 - Promoted to Division Two after play-offs (Final - Wycombe Wanderers 4 Preston North End 2 at Wembley)
- 2000-01 - FA Cup semi-finalists
- 2003-04 - Relegated to Division Three, which was then renamed "League Two"
- 2005-06 - Not promoted after play-offs (SF Wycombe Wanderers 1 Cheltenham Town 2, Cheltenham Town 0 Wycombe Wanderers 0 - Aggregate 1-2)
- 2006-07 - League Cup semi-finalists, beating Premiership Charlton and Fulham away from home, and finally falling 5-1 to Champions Chelsea on aggregate, following a 1-1 draw at Adams Park.
- 2007-08 - Not promoted after play-offs (SF Wycombe Wanderers 1 Stockport County 1, Stockport County 1 Wycombe Wanderers 0 - Aggregate 1-2)
Source: Wycombe Wanderers at the Football Club History Database
[edit] Coaches (until 1968) and Managers
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James McCormick | 1951 - 1952 |
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Sid Cann | 1952 - 1961 |
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Colin McDonald | 1961 |
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Graham Adams | 1961 - 1962 |
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Don Welsh | 1962 - 1964 |
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Barry Darvill | 1964 - 1968 |
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Brian Lee | 1968 - 1976 |
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Ted Powell | 1976 - 1977 |
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John Reardon | 1977 - 1978 |
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Andy Williams | 1978 - 1980 |
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Mike Keen | 1980 - 1984 |
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Paul Bence | 1984 - 1986 |
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Alan Gane | 1986 - 1987 |
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Peter Suddaby | 1987 - 1988 |
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Jim Kelman | 1988 - 1990 |
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Martin O'Neill | 1990 - 1995 |
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Alan Smith | 1995 - 1996 |
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John Gregory | 1996 - 1998 |
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Neil Smillie | 1998 - 1999 |
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Lawrie Sanchez | 1999 - 2003 |
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Tony Adams | 2003 - 2004 |
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John Gorman | 2004 - 2006 |
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Paul Lambert | 2006 - 2008 |
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Peter Taylor | 2008 - present |
[edit] Honours
- FA Cup semi-finalists 2001
- League Cup semi-finalists 2007
- Division 3 Play-Off Winners 1994
- Football Conference champions 1993
- FA Trophy winners 1991, 1993
- FA Amateur Cup winners 1931
- Isthmian League champions 8 times
- London Fives champions 1994 1995
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Wycombe Wanderers F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
- BBC Three Counties Radio
- Wycombe Wanderers Official Site
- Chairboys Gas Room
- Blue Quarters
- Chairboys Forever Blog
- Chairboys MAD
- Chairboys On The Net
- SMBU
- When Skies Are Blue
- Vital Football
- Wycombe Wanderes Ladies Football Club
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Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
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