Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Swindon Town: FLW reports as 10-men Robins stun poor Chairboys

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·10 December 2024

Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Swindon Town: FLW reports as 10-men Robins stun poor Chairboys

Action from Adams Park in the Vertu Trophy round of 32, as Wycombe Wanderers hosted Swindon Town.

Swindon Town knocked League One leaders, Wycombe Wanderers, out of the EFL Trophy, with goals from Billy Kirkman and Kabongo Tshimanga proving to be the difference at Adams Park.

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It didn't take long for the struggling League Two side to take the lead. A thunderous hit from Billy Kirkman on his debut gave Swindon the advantage after just six minutes. A finish any striker would be proud of, let alone a left-back making his debut.

The heavily rotated Wycombe side struggled early doors, and didn't really give Town much to think about defensively. There were a few frustrated fans in the home stand, as the League One leaders looked disjointed.

The visitors had the chance to double their lead midway through the first half. Rosaire Longelo bombed down the right-hand side and whipped in a powerful ball that was begging to be tapped home. Fortunately for Wycombe, nobody was there to steer it home.

Former Chairboys, Nnamdi Ofoborh arrived on the scene when a loose ball came towards him. The Nigerian's powerful drive went over the bar and into an empty terrace behind the goal.

The complexion of the game changed in stoppage time, when Longelo went in dangerously on Luca Woodhouse. The Swindon defender was brandished a straight red card for the tackle, leaving his side a man down in the second half.

The League Two team retained their lead into half-time, but would have to put in a big defensive effort to keep Wycombe out for the next 45 minutes.

Matt Bloomfield made a change in the middle of the park, Tyreeq Bakinson was withdrawn for David Wheeler. This gave Wanderers an extra man in their front line.

The inevitable Wycombe pressure came in the second half. The Chairboys pinned their opponents into their own half. However, nothing seemed to be going the hosts' way, as they simply couldn't unlock Swindon's defence.

Daniel Udoh had a great chance that he should've scored. A lovely turn from substitute Bez Lubala sent the former Shrewsbury man one-on-one with Daniel Barden. The striker drilled his shot straight at the keeper, but got to the ball off the rebound. However, Tunmise Sobowale was on hand to clear it off the line.

Against the run of play, Swindon doubled their advantage. Poor defending from Wycombe as Declan Skura got out-muscled fairly by Joel McGregor, who flashed the ball across goal. His cross was turned home by Tshimanga. Jubilation for Swindon, embarrassment for Wycombe.

The Wanderers had a mountain to climb if they wished to remain in the Vertu Trophy, but it just seemed like it was going to be Ian Holloway's night. It was a performance that was far below the usual standard from the Blues, which was to be expected with a heavily rotated side.

Wycombe got back into the game in second-half stoppage time, Lubala finally beating Barden to give his side a glimmer of hope with just three minutes left to play.

Barden had to produce several saves before the whistle to keep his side's lead intact. The young Welsh keeper had a great game in between the sticks for the Robins.

Ultimately, the hosts left it too late and Swindon were able to see it through. Last season's finalists were sent out of the competition in the first knockout round. The Blues look to get back to winning ways on Saturday, when they head to Shropshire to take on Gareth Ainsworth's Shrewsbury Town.