By Matt Cecil
Wycombe Wanderers will be playing their football in League One next season after a breathtaking afternoon at Adams Park saw them clinch promotion despite a 2-1 defeat at home to Notts County.
A last-minute winner from John Thompson meant that the Blues' destiny rested in the hands of Bury, but their 1-0 victory over Accrington meant that they fell short by one single goal - and sent the Wanderers into paradise.
County took the lead courtesy of a swerving Thompson strike from distance in the first half but the ride to promotion looked a little more comfortable when David McCracken swept home after an excellent free-kick routine in the second half.
But a more than tense finale saw Thompson clinch the winner and there was an incredible period of waiting before the party was allowed to begin.
Peter Taylor commented in the build-up to the game that it was the sort of game that every single player in the squad was desperate to be involved in, and there were undoubtedly some disappointed faces when the Blues boss named his sixteen on Friday afternoon.
But for those who were selected, the occasion provided the opportunity for Blues' players to write their name into the club's folklore. Even warming up on the pitch surrounded by a sold-out Adams Park stadium must have been enough to raise the hairs on the necks of those involved.
Jon-Paul Pittman was recalled to the side in place of Matt Bloomfield in the only change from last weekend's 1-1 draw with Port Vale, whilst John Akinde, Lee Sawyer and Frank Sinclair would have both been looking to end their respective loan spells in the best possible fashion.
As the kick-off drew nearer, the atmosphere heightened. The club knew its destiny was in its own hands. The day we'd all been waiting for was upon us.
Taylor confirmed in the build-up that his side would approach the game in the same way as any other, and there were certainly plenty of early signs that the Blues were not going to sit back and just play for the point. County's tendency to drop off gave the home side time and space inside the visiting half and an enterprising run from Chris Zebroski inside the first two minutes proved their intentions.
Lee Sawyer was the next to bring applause from the home fans, breaking forward from the right-hand side before feeding Jon-Paul Pittman inside the box on seven minutes. The result was a corner, and a deflected effort from Pittman landed safely in the arms of Kevin Pilkington.
Sawyer was always looking hungry to receive the ball, and had a knack of creating space for himself in the County half. The on-loan Chelsea youngster did just that on 12 minutes but shot tamely at Pilkington from fully 30 yards.
The Magpies rarely threatened in the opening exchanges, but had one half-chance on 16 minutes when a deep ball from Phil Picken found the head of giant striker Sean Canham inside the box. However, Canham mistimed his leap and headed closer to the corner flag than the net, whilst Jamie Clapham sliced the ball high and wide from just inside the corner of the box.
It gave confidence to the visitors, and perhaps turned up the pressure on the Blues. A deep cross from the left on 20 minutes was headed down by Canham, and it needed two blocks inside the six-yard box to prevent Gavin Strachan and Matt Hamshaw from opening the scoring.
County clearly felt no pressure and could arguably play with more freedom, and stunned the 9,000-plus home support by taking the lead on 30 minutes. Midfielder John Thompson collected the ball midway inside the Blues half and, unchallenged, casually struck the ball low and hard towards goal, and the swerve deceived keeper Jamie Young before nestling in the back of the net. It was a goal out of nothing, but meant so much in the promotion chase.
The Magpies weren't far away from a second goal moments later when Myles Weston drilled wide from 25 yards, and the best the Blues could do in response was a David McCracken header which hit John Akinde on its way to the target.
The superb home support continued to try and lift their side, and the Blues knew they needed to keep their heads. A cleanly-hit free-kick by Craig Woodman on 39 minutes needed a save from Kevin Pilkington, and a moment of sheer ingenuity from Lee Sawyer almost brought the whole stadium to its feet two minutes later.
Wanderers worked the ball infield from the left and Gary Holt laid it off to the midfielder, who chipped it over the defender before striking a spectacular left-footed volley which whistled just over the crossbar.
Just before the break, it needed a goal-line clearance from Stephen Hunt to deny Chris Zebroski's low drilled effort after Tommy Doherty and Jon-Paul Pittman had combined down the left to send the ball into the area, but the half-time whistle blew with the Blues still occupying an automatic promotion place courtesy of Bury and Exeter's 0-0 scorelines.
It needed a response, though, and it looked as though the Blues had received the proverbial rocket at half-time, coming out with renewed vigour and attacking intent. Tommy Doherty fired low towards a corner from 20 yards, forcing a save from Pilkington, while a well-executed volley from Pittman after great work by Zebroski and Sawyer missed its target in the top corner by a matter of inches.
And the pressure paid off. All season long, the Blues' work on set pieces on the training field has paid off time after time after time, and a fantastic move resulted in David McCracken grabbing his first goal of the campaign in the most dramatic fashion possible. After Lee Sawyer had been fouled 30 yards out, Gary Holt laid the ball sideways to Tommy Doherty, who in turn fed Lewis Hunt on the overlap. The right-back's low cross into the six-yard box was a dangerous one and McCracken was on hand to steer the ball home, much to the delight of vast majority of the stadium.
The relief was tangible, and there was a strange sense to the game with the Blues knowing that although a draw would be enough, their instincts wanted to attack. County made two changes, replacing Gavin Strachan and Sean Canham with Matt Richards and Delroy Facey, and they could have seen their side fall behind when John Akinde burst into the box before taking one touch too many and being dispossessed by Stephen Hunt just as he was ready to pull the trigger.
Goalscoring chances were few and far between, and that suited the Blues. Matt Hamshaw skewed over the bar for the visitors before both sides made changes - Matt Harrold and Adam Tann replacing Jon-Paul Pittman and Ben Fairclough for Wycombe and County respectively. The home side's change saw John Akinde move to a wide right position while Matt Harrold came on up-front for his first appearance since sustaining an injury against Gillingham last month.
The game had approached a strange phase. With Bury and Exeter both drawing 0-0, there needed to be a late flurry of goals in all three games to prevent the Blues from clinching promotion, but the home crowd knew they couldn't relax. The aerial presence of Delroy Facey for the visitors was proving to be quite a handful, while at the other end, Matt Harrold was denied a spectacular goal on his return after seeing his overhead kick ruled out for a handball on 79 minutes.
Exeter's goal ten minutes from time at Rotherham turned up the heat slightly, with the Grecians virtually guaranteeing themselves a place in League One next season, and a sustained spell of possession inside the Wycombe half brought about an agonising County winner. John Thompson jinked inside onto his left foot and bent an excellent curling effort into the bottom corner of Jamie Young's net.
For it all to go horribly wrong, Bury needed two late goals against Accrington, and they scored one courtesy of a stoppage time penalty. With the whole of Adams Park waiting with baited breath for the final whistle to sound, the Shakers apparently hit the post before the referee ended the game, signalling Wycombe's promotion and sparking the most incredible of scenes ever seen at Adams Park.
Much much more to follow.
