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Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Watford: Chairboys earn first point of season


Anthony Stewart goal
Anthony Stewart’s header was only Wycombe’s third goal of the season

Wycombe Wanderers secured their first Championship point of the season with a draw against Watford at Adams Park.

Ismaila Sarr headed home Kiko Femenia’s inch-perfect cross to open the scoring for the visitors against the run of play in the 52nd minute.

But Wycombe, who lost their opening seven league matches coming into this fixture, were soon level as defender Anthony Stewart nodded in Joe Jacobson’s corner midway through the second half.

They were denied a winner late on as Alex Samuel was adjudged to have fouled Watford keeper Ben Foster who deflected the ball into his own net following a corner deep into stoppage time.

Wycombe had lost every competitive match since their League One play-off win over Oxford United last July.

But the hosts dominated proceedings, having given a first start of the season to 38-year-old target-man Adebyo Akinfenwa, with the former Watford youth player also wearing the armband for Gareth Ainsworth’s side.

And Akinfenwa missed a huge opportunity with the scores level in the 41st minute, side-footing an effort over the bar with Foster stranded after Scott Kashket’s cutback.

Moments later Watford’s Joao Pedro netted a disallowed goal, inadvertently deflecting in a low cross off his arm in an otherwise uneventful first half.

Wanderers twice tested Foster through Akinfenwa and David Wheeler at the start of the second period before Sarr opened the scoring with Watford’s first meaningful opening.

But the Chairboys were deservedly level and were denied a complete turnaround with referee John Brooks penalising Samuels for obstructing Foster who deflected Jacobson’s in-swinging corner into his own net.

Watford substitute Glenn Murray then dragged a decent effort wide with virtually the last kick of the game. Wycombe stay 23rd in the table, while Watford are third.

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Three Counties Radio:

“It feels amazing to get that point. I think its been coming, all that hard work that we’ve put in over the last three games. We’ve been worthy of a point and today I thought we might have had three.

“I thought we were the better side against a team that almost stayed in the Premier League last season. It’s a phenomenal effort from my boys, I’m really proud of them.”

On his side’s late disallowed goal: “It looks like there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, but I wouldn’t want to be a referee. I’ve said I’m not going to get involved with criticising officials. It evens itself up, I’m hoping in the second half of the season we get some of these decisions.”

Watford Head Coach Vladimir Ivic told BBC Three Counties Radio:

“(It was a) tough night, we expected something like that before the game. Today we didn’t do our job to the best we can.

“We cannot be satisfied with the way we played and it’s something we’re not satisfied with for the first time in a while.

“We had a lot of problems with our defensive shape. When we had the ball we couldn’t create things. This is something we have to work on.”

Line-ups

Wycombe

  • 1Allsop
  • 2Grimmer
  • 12Knight
  • 5Stewart
  • 3Jacobson
  • 18Thompson
  • 24Adeniran
  • 11KashketSubstituted forSamuelat 88′minutes
  • 17HorganSubstituted forOnyedinmaat 86′minutes
  • 7Wheeler
  • 20AkinfenwaSubstituted forIkpeazuat 85′minutes

Substitutes

  • 8Pattison
  • 9Ikpeazu
  • 10Bloomfield
  • 16Phillips
  • 23Onyedinma
  • 25Samuel
  • 31Stockdale

Watford

  • 1Foster
  • 21FemeníaBooked at 80mins
  • 27KabaseleSubstituted forChalobahat 75′minutes
  • 5Troost-Ekong
  • 15Cathcart
  • 12Sema
  • 23Sarr
  • 8CleverleySubstituted forGarnerat 90′minutes
  • 29Capoue
  • 20QuinaSubstituted forMurrayat 74′minutes
  • 10João Pedro

Substitutes

  • 3Ngakia
  • 6Wilmot
  • 14Chalobah
  • 16Garner
  • 17Murray
  • 26Bachmann
  • 31Sierralta

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