Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Stevenage: FLW reports as Chairboys narrow the gap to Wrexham | OneFootball

Match report, player ratings, and reaction from both managers as Wycombe Wanderers hosted Stevenage.

Wycombe Wanderers left it late to claw back an important two points in the promotion race, beating Stevenage 1-0 thanks to a late winner from Caleb Taylor.

The first half wasn't the greatest of adverts for League One football, as both teams struggled to muster any real chances, which saw the scores level at 0-0 going into the break.

Frustration was growing around the ground, as Wycombe were still unable to make the breakthrough in the second half, but all was released when Taylor prodded home a late winner to give Wanderers all three points, and move them within a point of Wrexham.

Wycombe Wanderers 1–0 Stevenage

Wycombe had a great chance to open the scoring in the third minute. Fred Onyedinma's lifted ball into the box found an unmarked Luke Leahy at the back post, but the shot was charged down by Luther James-Wildin.

The game settled down in the next 20 minutes, as Stevenage looked lively down the right via Kemp. Richard Kone then had a free header from a perfect Leahy corner wide - a very uncharacteristic miss by the Ivorian.

The first 35 minutes of the contest were a tough watch, as neither side offered much going forward. Stevenage defended everything their opponents threw at them, but there were too many aimless long balls forward.

The home crowd were left frustrated when Will Norris stood over the ball outside his box for a lengthy period of time waiting for a passing option, only for the keeper to smash it straight into the arms of his opposite number.

Referee Josh Smith brought the first half to a close after one minute of added time. Being honest, 0-0 at the break was a fair reflection of the contest as a whole, with neither team looking likely to find the net in the opening 45 minutes.

Ten minutes into the second half, Wanderers thought they had the lead through Onyedinma. Taye Ashby-Hammond made a mess of a corner, which was tapped home by the Nigerian. However, the wing-back was deemed to have strayed marginally offside.

After a strong start to the second period, Wycombe had a succession of Stevenage corners to defend, as they were unable to fully clear their lines before the referee intervened to give the home side a free-kick for a foul in the box.

With the clock ticking down and three sides of Adams Park becoming more and more anxious by the minute, Boro captain Carl Piergianni's looping header had Norris scrambling to claw it away from danger.

There was no attacking impact on show by the home team, as they looked slow in the build-up and struggled to string any passes together, leaving Richard Kone and Daniel Udoh rather frustrated up top.

After all the frustration of the 90 minutes, the valve of pressure around Adams Park was released as the home side took the lead in stoppage time. A scramble from a cross left the Boro defenders lost, and on loan West Brom defender Taylor prodded the loose ball home, sending the terrace behind the goal into a sea of limbs.

The Chairboys had done it, snatching three points right at the death. With Wrexham drawing away to Wigan Athletic, the gap between second and third was shortened to just a single point with four games to go.

W. Norris - 7

F. Onyedinma - 6 (G. McCleary 62'(6))

J. Grimmer - 4 (A. Reach 71'(6))

S. Bradley - 7

C. Taylor - 8

L. Leahy - 7

X. Simons - 5 (A. Lowry 78' (6))

J. Scowen - 6

C. Humphreys - 6

D. Udoh - 6

R. Kone - 6

Unused Substitutes: F. Ravizzoli, T. Bakinson, J. Low, G. Kodua

Stevenage player ratings

T. Ashby-Hammond - 5

L. James-Wildin - 6

C. Goode - 6

C. Piergianni - 6

D. Butler - 6

D. Phillips - 6

H. White - 6

D. Kemp - 7 (J. Roberts 80'(6))

L. Thompson - 6 (J. Forster-Caskey 88'(6))

J. Reid - 6 (E. List 80'(6))

L. Appere - 6 (J. Young 62'(6))

Unused substitutes: R. Mitchell, D. Sweeney, L. Freestone

Match attendance

Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

There were 4827 fans present at a sun-kissed Adams Park on Saturday lunchtime, including 332 making the early trip from Stevenage.

Mike Dodds reacts as Wycombe leave it late to beat Stevenage

Speaking to the press after the game, a relieved Mike Dodds said: "I just said to the guys, is there any chance we can score in the first-half?

"That's how the final remaining games are going to go I think. We came up against a team that showed us a huge amount of respect, which has been the case since I came into the football club.

"When you're coming towards the business end of the season, teams are respectful of how good we are and the threats that we have."

Alex Revell left disappointed as Stevenage fall to late defeat

Speaking to the press following his side's late defeat at the hands of promotion-chasing Wycombe, Boro boss Alex Revell said: "When you're in that pressured moment, that's when you have to produce.

"I think we need to improve because you can work on the build-up, and you can work on possession, defending - but those are the moments that matter - the moments that win you games.

"The keeper made a great save from Pidge's [Piergianni's] header, but I'm just disappointed."

How the promotion race looks for Wycombe Wanderers

Saturday's result was a huge three points for Wycombe, as they were able to bring themselves within a point of automatic promotion rivals Wrexham, with just four games remaining.

The Chairboys have also now mathematically secured a spot in the play-offs thanks to their victory over Stevenage, so the focus can now shift to chasing down the Red Dragons and joining Birmingham City as one of the automatically promoted teams.