How a player who never played for Wycombe Wanderers became a Chairboys cult hero | OneFootball

Colin Daniel scored a crucial goal that saved Wycombe Wanderers from relegation and potential liquidation in 2014.

Summary

Colin Daniel has a reputation as a cult hero at Wycombe Wanderers. However, the defender never actually adorned the light and dark blue quarters.

The South Buckinghamshire club has plenty of cult heroes that are often talked about to this day. The likes of Roy Essandoh, Marcus Bean, and Dominic Gape are often still spoken of for their famous goals, which are etched into Wycombe history.

However, one of the more recent cult heroes never actually played for the Chairboys, but gained his status by scoring a crucial goal which potentially kept the club afloat in 2014 - that man was Colin Daniel.

11 years later, with Wycombe now competing at the sharp end of League One, some supporters often wonder what the last ten years would've looked like had the left-back not scored that goal, and would the football club even exist today?

Colin Daniel is a Wycombe Wanderers cult hero, despite never playing for the club

Heading into the final day of the 2013/14 season, Wanderers faced already relegated Torquay United at Plainmoor, in need of three points and either Bristol Rovers or Northampton Town to lose if they wanted to remain in the EFL.

The club was in serious financial turmoil at the time. Word had spread that they couldn't even afford to sack manager Gareth Ainsworth, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Despite the issues off the pitch, Wycombe kept their end of the bargain, defeating the Gulls 3-0. Elsewhere, Mansfield Town managed to beat Bristol Rovers 1-0, wearing the Gas' away kit, thanks to a winning goal by none other than Daniel.

Miraculously, the Blues survived on the final day thanks to their superior goal difference of -8, in comparison to Rovers' -11. With the club's entire existence on the line, Daniel became Wycombe's hero after scoring the goal that potentially saved the club.

Daniel's goal is a significant part of Wycombe's history

Years later, in an interview with UndrTheCosh podcast, manager Ainsworth admitted that relegation would've been the "end" of the club's existence. Over a decade after that incredible afternoon on the English Riviera, looking back on that day makes you realise what a vital moment Daniel's goal was in Wycombe's history.

Football is a game of ifs, buts, and maybes - but with the serious financial struggles that Wanderers endured during this time, it's fair to look back on the ex-Mansfield man's goal as the key moment that inspired the next ten years.

Since then, Wycombe have been on an incredible journey which saw them return to League One in 2018, before reaching the Championship for the first time in their history two years later. Now, the Blues are a top third tier club, and have a promising future under Mikheil Lomtadze's ownership.

With that in mind, it's really not surprising that Daniel has the cult hero tag at the club he never played for. His goal that put Bristol Rovers to the sword 11 years ago changed the entire trajectory of the Chairboys.