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Newell: First Game
Newell: First Game

Grimsby v Wycombe Preview

By: Alex Green
Date: 10/10/2008

MIKE Newell takes charge of his first Town game at home to table topping Wycombe in front of a bumper crowd at Blundell Park

Home > 2008-2009 Season > Previews > Wycombe (h)


The Opposition

Overview

Will Wycombe ever go back up? The Chairboys seem to have replaced Lincoln as the perennial almost rans in League Two. Last year the Buckinghamshire-based club lost in the semi-finals of the play-offs to the eventual winners Stockport County. Having been relegated to League Two by finishing rock bottom of League One the same year in which we were demoted, Wycombe have made a better game of it down here than ourselves. They have regularly been in with a chance of reaching the play off finals and only finishing two places off a play-off spot in their first season in 2005. This season has started just as brightly as many others have for Wycombe: 2 points clear at the top of the table they are only one of two teams in the league (the other been second placed Bury) to have an undefeated record in the league and although this Tuesday's 7-0 defeat to third place Shrewsbury was a shock to the system it won’t stop Wycombe been a powerful force this year.

The Team
A mass clear out was underway over the summer at Adams Park. All in all 11 players were shown the door, leaving for clubs from Motherwell to Kettering. The mass clear out you would have thought would have had a sobering affect on the team and left it needing time to gel but the start Wycombe have made seems to have thrown any gelling time out of the window. The biggest loss was without question the selling of Sergio Torres. Though £150,000 is always useful it won’t replace the energy and goals the Argentinean gave to the cause. Things could have been a lot worse for Wycombe if they didn’t have Scott McGleish (left) to step in to fill the gaps. After floating around several lower league clubs McGleish settled at Adams Park in 2006, scoring 33 goals in 63 starts. With 11 being cleared out at the home of Wycombe (and London Wasps) Manager Peter Taylor had to find some suitable replacements and though Taylor only bought in 5 new players he will hope it’s more about quality then quantity. Forward Gavin Grant came in from Millwall, Nathan Ashton came from Premier League Fulham, and Vieira fortunately not of Arsenal fame came is as a potential playmaker from Crawley. Peter Taylor (above) has also created a strong midfield: youngster Matthew Bloomfield has been raised at the club since 2003 and has returned the nurturing he was given with some brilliant displays and along with the experience of former Forest maestro Gary Holt its no wonder Wycombe are top of the league.


One to Watch
Michael Williamson. A lot was expected of the youngster who went as a trainee at Torquay to been signed for Southampton for £100,000 back in 2001 after returning on loan to Torquay in 2003 and then further loan periods at Doncaster and Wycombe it seemed the youngster never fulfil his potential but after a season long loan during the 2004-05 season at Wycombe the 6ft3 defender was snapped up on a free. Since then Williamson has played over a 100 games for Wanderers and this season has been in tremendous form been the leading scorer from defence thanks to 2 goals he scored in the 2-1 win over Dagenham and those his aerial threat at set pieces is worrying enough. Williamson is an astonishing defender Williamson has missed both of the games in which Wycombe have conceded heavily in the recent 7-0 thrashing to Shrewsbury and another 4-0 defeat at Birmingham from people I know at Wycombe this is no coincidence and if he features on a Saturday expect him to make it harder for a brilliant start to the Mike Newell era.

Recent Form

TownWycombe
LScunthorpe (JPT),(a)1-2
LRotherham(a)1-4
LBarnet(h)0-1
DMorecambe(a)1-1
LChester(h)1-3
Currently 21st in League Two.
LShrewsbury(a)0-7
WBournemouth(a)3-1
DBury(h)0-0
WDagenham(h)2-1
DBrentford(a)0-0
Currently 1st in League Two.

Top Scorers

TownWycombe
North2
Till2
Williamson3
McGleish2
Zebroski2

Team News

TownWycombe

  • Danny Boshell missed training on Thursday with a hamstring injury and is a doubt.

  • Malvin Kamara is available again after being cup-tied for the Scunthorpe game,

  • Paul Bolland (knee) and Richard Hope (groin strain) are still out injured.
  • Wycombe are set to bring back goalkeeper Scott Shearer, Mike Williamson, Tommy Doherty, Chris Zebroski and former Grimsby loanee Matt Harrold.

  • But defender Will Antwi (broken toe) and midfielder Gary Holt (hernia) remain sidelined.
  • Squads

    TownWycombe
    1GKPhil Barnes
    2DFRobbie Stockdale
    3DFTom Newey
    4DFRyan Bennett
    5DFMatthew Heywood (c)
    6DFRichard Hope
    7MFPeter Till
    8MFPaul Bolland
    9FWMartin Butler
    10MFChris Llewellyn
    11MFDanny Boshell
    12DFJamie Clarke
    13GKGary Montgomery
    14MFJames Hunt
    15DFMatthew Bird
    16DFJavan Vidal
    17MFNick Hegarty
    18MFPeter Bore
    19FWDanny North
    20FWAndy Taylor
    21MFSimon Heslop
    22FWNathan Jarman
    23MFGrant Normington
    24MFLiam Trotter
    25MFMalvin Kamara
    26FWTomi Ameobi
    27GKLeigh Overton
    1GKScott Shearer
    2DFLewis Hunt
    3DFCraig Woodman
    4DFLeon Johnson
    5DFWill Antwi
    6DFMike Williamson
    7DFDavid McCracken (Club captain)
    8MFTommy Doherty
    9FWMatt Harrold
    10MFMatt Bloomfield
    11FWChris Zebroski
    12GKJamie Young
    15MFGary Holt
    16FWSimon Church (On loan from Reading)
    17FWScott McGleish
    18FWGavin Grant
    19MFLewwis Spence
    20MFJohn Mousinho
    21DFRobbie Rice
    22DFNathan Ashton
    23FWMagno Silva Vieira
    24MFDerek Duncan
    25DFLewis Christon
    26DFLeon Crooks
    33DFDarrell Ellams
    35MFEddie Savage
    36DFJamie Turley
    38MFMatt Phillips

    Head to Head

    Grimsby have a worse record against Wycombe than against any other football club in their hsitory, winning just one of the fourteen matches between the two sides.

    P 14 W 1 D 6 L 7 F 11 A 23

    Wycombe Head-to-Head (104th on The Opposition Ladder)

    Last Meeting

    Grimsby 0 Wycombe 1 (Tue 15th April 2008)

    A dire performance and another defeat at the tail end of last season.

    Report

    Prediction

    I’ve started to be positive again

    Grimsby Town 3-0 Wycombe

    Reader's POMs

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