Wycombe Wanderers have only suffered one loss in their last ten games across all competitions. The winning goal came in the 20th minute of extra time in that lone loss, which occurred against Wigan Athletic in the middle of January.
With 37 points, Wanderers are ranked 15th in the third division of English football. Although they are 16 points outside of the playoffs, their recent victories over Cheltenham Town and Peterborough United have allayed relegation fears. They do, however, currently only sit six points above the drop zone.
Manager Gareth Ainsworth, who has been with the Buckinghamshire club for 11 years, moved to Queens Park Rangers in February 2023. His replacement, Matt Bloomfield, a former midfielder from League Two team Colchester United, was announced.
Even though he only had two victories in his first six games, he was still able to lead the team to a ninth-place finish, which was only eight points outside of the top six.
It’s surprising that the Chairboys are where they are given the experience of players like Ryan Tafazolli, David Wheeler, and Sam Vokes.
Wanderers had trouble in the FA Cup; at Adams Park, Morecambe stunned the Blues 2-0 in the second round. Sutton United, a Carabao Cup League Two struggler, shocked everyone by winning 1-0.
However, there has been success with the EFL Trophy. They advanced to the semi-finals by defeating the under-21 teams of Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, and West Ham.
A chance to play at Wembley Stadium and a semi-final matchup with Bradford City await. The Bantams, who are currently in 14th place in League Two, defeated the high-flying Wrexham team over the weekend. Wycombe, though, has to be the favourite. Is their cup luck going to turn around soon? The victor will then play Peterborough or Blackpool in the trophy final.
Before visiting seventh-place Oxford United on Saturday, Wycombe hosts third-place Bolton Wanderers tonight. This week may prove to be crucial for their season; six points against teams like these two would greatly aid their cause.
Is a surprise matchup with the Trotters imminent? They will need their strikers to show up if they want that to happen; Beryly Lubala, who joined the team in late January, is still looking to make an impression, and Vokes has only scored four goals this season. With just seven goals, the club’s top scorer is captain Luke Leahy.
The Blues could place sixth, but that would require them to go on a strong run and, more importantly, defeat the teams in their immediate vicinity, like Shrewsbury Town and Reading, their local rivals. Although it’s unlikely, they could place in the top half of the standings if they have a strong season finale.
Could they pick up enough steam to make a surprise run at the playoffs? Will a difficult phase arise at an inopportune moment? As the season nears its conclusion, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
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