Wycombe Wanderers 3 - 2 York City: FLW reports as Chairboys see off brave non-league side | OneFootball

FA Cup action from Adams Park where two of the most in-form sides in England went head-to-head.

Wycombe Wanderers beat York City 3-2 in a thrilling first round FA Cup clash between two of the most in-form sides in England at Adams Park.

The hosts raced into a two-goal lead over their non-league opposition thanks to first half goals from Luke Leahy and Gideon Kodua, only for Tyrese Sinclair to halve the deficit for the Minstermen before the interval.

Leahy's second goal of the game early on after the break would seal Matt Bloomfield and his team's place in the hat for the next round of the competition, despite a stoppage time consolation from Joe Felix.

Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 York City: Leahy brace eliminates courageous Minstermen

Bez Lubala had the first chance of the game. He received the ball from Matt Butcher in the box, but lofted his effort high and wide. Butcher himself then struck a low-driven shot just wide of the post. The hosts looked the more comfortable of the two teams in the opening five minutes.

York started to find a foothold in the game, but gifted Wycombe a penalty in the 13th minute when Ryan Fallowfield slid out Lubala recklessly. Luke Leahy stepped up, and you already know the rest. The Chairboys had a 1-0 lead.

It could've been two when a ball was squared to Richard Kone just seconds after the restart. Good defending from York captain Callum Howe prevented the non-league side's net from bulging twice in as many minutes.

It wouldn't be for long though, as Kone played a slick ball through to the rapid Gideon Kodua, who cooly slid it past Harrison Male to double Wycombe's advantage.

Seven minutes later, Male denied Kone from point-blank range with a superb reaction save from the Ivorian's header. A wonderful save from the York number one.

York got a goal back after a mistake from Alex Hartridge. The ball got stuck under the defender's foot, which allowed a quick York break. The ball was played out to the left and Tyrese Sinclair curled in a beauty to get the visitors right back into it. A bit of a wake-up call for Wycombe, reminding them their opponents weren't just there for a day out.

The goal sparked a resurgence in Hinshelwood's men, as they sensed that Wanderers could be there for the taking. Chances came as the Chairboys were becoming sloppy in possession, the hosts needed to regroup and find that momentum they had before the goal.

With minutes to go until half-time, Josh Scowen smashed the bar from just outside the box. A free-kick was played out to the midfielder, who thundered a shot against the bar.

Wanderers were being far too sloppy in possession. Leahy gave the ball away cheaply and the Blues had to scramble the flurry of York pressure away. The half ended 2-1 to Wycombe. The Blues had to put the game to bed, but their opponents were certainly no push-over.

Both managers opted to stay as they were at the end of the second half. Leahy went into the book early on, as he caught Ashley Nathaniel-George with his trailing leg. The intervention prevented the winger from bursting through on goal, but he took a booking in return.

Wanderers were mere inches from being awarded a second penalty of the afternoon after substitute Dan Udoh was fouled just outside the box. It might as well have been a penalty though, as the set-piece master restored Wycombe's two-goal lead, thanks to a curling effort that went over the wall.

With his side two goals behind, Hinshelwood made his first change, bringing off Leeds United loanee Luca Thomas for Dipo Akinyemi.

Hartridge almost had his first-ever senior goal, when a corner evaded everyone and his looping shot forced Male to tip the effort over the bar. Lubala went for the spectacular from the corner with an overhead kick that just whistled past the post.

West Ham starlet Kodua was forced off with a knock, bringing an early end to his excellent afternoon. This saw a return to action for David Wheeler, who hadn't featured since Aston Villa came to town in September.

Udoh could've made it four when he turned his way past Howe, but his shot was narrowly wide of the post. Wycombe were creating plenty of chances and not allowing their non-league opponents a sniff in the second period.

After a long road back to fitness, Brandon Hanlan made his return to action for the first time since November 2023. It was wonderful to see the Chairboys' number 18 back out on the pitch.

Joe Felix scored a second for York in stoppage time. His low finish past Shamal George wasn't the ideal end to the game for the Chairboys. There was then a scramble which saw a York City shot trickle inches past the post. A huge collective sigh of relief was breathed around Adams Park when the final whistle went.

Wanderers had too much quality for their non-league opponents on the day, as the Chairboys ran out 3–2 winners. However, it was a battling display from Hinshelwood's men, who could take pride from their performance against one of the most in-form sides in the entire country.

Player ratings

Wycombe Wanderers

Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

S. George - 8

J. Pattenden - 6 (Substituted for J. McCarthy 81')

D. Skura - 6

A. Hartridge - 5

L. Leahy - 9

T. Bakinson - 7

J. Scowen - 7 (Substituted for C. Humphreys 53')

M. Butcher - 7

G. Kodua - 8 (Substituted for D. Wheeler 65')

R. Kone - 6 (Substituted for D. Udoh 53')

B. Lubala - 6 (Substituted for B. Hanlan 81')

Substitutes:

D. Udoh - 7

C. Humphreys - 7

D. Wheeler - 6

B. Hanlan - 6

J. McCarthy - 5

York City

H. Male - 7

R. Fallowfield - 5

C. Howe - 6

M. Fagan-Walcott - 6

J. Felix - 7

R. Aguiar - 5 (Substituted for M. Armstrong 71')

A. Hunt - 5

A. Nathaniel-George - 7 (Substituted for A. Crookes 71')

L. Thomas - 6 (Substituted for D. Akinyemi 60')

T. Sinclair - 8

O. Pearce - 6

Substitutes

D. Akinyemi - 6

A. Crookes - 6

M. Armstrong - 6

Matt Bloomfield's reaction

Speaking to the press after the game, victorious Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield said: “[I’m] Really chuffed. I think we've seen how tough this [FA Cup] can be, round 1 and 2. So for us to get through, we're obviously really, really pleased. To score three goals was lovely.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game. York are used to winning themselves. I think it was two in form teams coming up against each other, and they pushed us all the way.

“We knew it was going to be a tough afternoon if we didn't kill the game off, and we didn't quite make it comfortable enough in my opinion.“

York City manager Adam Hinshelwood's reaction

Speaking after his side were narrowly beaten, York boss Adam Hinshelwood said: “We had an unbelievable following again beyond the goal, and I was just disappointed we couldn't quite get that last little touch, to extend the tie.

“We’ll learn a lot from today's game, 100%, and it's going to be a good benchmark for us. We've got to take the good stuff and learn from stuff that we can improve on, and take that into our bread and butter of the National League.”