Archived News from January 2008
|
WYCOMBE PREVIEWS
|
 |
|
Fielding Not Signed in Time for Mansfield Trip By Ian Baker Wsab - Wycombe Wanderers 21:02 7-Jan-08 Wycombe have not signed Frank Fielding in time for the goalkeeper to feature at Mansfield Town. A hold up in Fielding agreeing a long term contract with Blackburn Rovers has caused the delay so Wycombe will have Rab Douglas in goal again. Elsewhere Leon Knight is included in the squad for the first time but he may have to be content with a spot on the subs bench as Scott McGleish and John Sutton continue up-front. Tommy Doherty starts for the first time as an official Wycombe player and is set to be partnered by Gary Holt in central midfield. Will Antwi, Mike Williamson, Jamie Young and Scott Shearer remain out for Wycombe. Mansfield will hope it's not a case of after the Lord Mayor's show after their excellent performance in winning at Brighton and Hove Albion in the cup on Saturday. They could be unchanged with Michael Boulding again missing out through a hamstring injury. Wycombe (Probable - 4-4-2): Douglas; Martin, Johnson, McCracken, Woodman; Holt, Torres, Bloomfield, Doherty; McGleish, Sutton. Subs: Stockley, Oakes, Knight, Bullock, Boucaud. Prediction Wycombe, wsab.co.uk - 3-1 Wycombe: the Blues to maintain their unbeaten run. Key Men Wycombe: Scott McGleish - could find himself under pressure with Knight's arrival. Mansfield: Matt Hamshaw - scored against Brighton and the midfielder will be on a high. Odds (Sky Bet) Wycombe - 11/8, Mansfield - 13/8, Draw - 11/5. ------------- Waiting game for Billy CHAD.co.uk, 7 Jan 2008 BILLY Dearden is playing a waiting game today as he tries to bring in new faces to the side for tomorrow night's home clash with Wycombe Wanderers (7.45pm). The Stags boss had hoped to have one or two new players in for training today but nothing had materialised this morning. "The situation now is the same as before we left for Brighton on Friday morning," he said. "I have players in place but I am waiting for their clubs to call me so it is all in the balance. "I had calls down in Brighton but it is just a waiting game at the moment and very frustrating. "I am disappointed they haven't happened yet and we are down to the bare bones. "There's no two ways about it – we need a couple of new faces in the dressing room to give everyone a bit of a boost." Rory Boulding is the latest added to the injury list with a strain at the back of his knee which looks almost certain to rule him out of the Wycombe clash along with brother Michael, John McAliskey, Martin McIntosh and Alex John-Baptiste. Stags were looking forward to today's FA Cup fourth round draw but, with the club now five points adrift of safety, Dearden warned: "Once we've heard the draw that's it for the FA Cup until we play the match. "We must not get carried away with the Cup. We have a hell of a lot of important League matches coming up. "I was delighted with the way we played at Brighton. We could have scored three or four and were by far the better footballing side on the day. "But that sums us up – on the day. We have got to put it together a bit more often. But that win shows we can do it. "It's no good playing like that and being rubbish next game. "Brighton allowed us to play football and we did just that. It is against the more physical sides we struggle and we have got to be able to mix it with those teams. "I don't mean going out kicking lumps out of people – that's never been my way of playing the game. "But we have to cope with them and have the confidence to get the ball down and pass teams out of it. "We just end up getting dragged into situations and start whacking it long. "The position we are in makes it difficult at times and we seem reluctant to get it down and play. "But games are coming thick and fast now and we have to start winning. "From the game at Chesterfield we have nine games in less than a month which doesn't help our situation at the moment." Tomorrow's visitors have just boosted their strike force by signing Leon Knight from MK Dons and had four successive wins under their belts before being held 0-0 at home by Barnet on New Year's Day. "Wycombe are a good footballing side and we had a great game with them here last year which we won 3-2 and Jon D'Laryea even managed to get on the scoresheet," said Dearden. "It is a big game for us and we need the points. I would happily swap our Cup run for another nine points." Stags skipper Jake Buxton will miss Saturday's trip to Chester City with a one game ban after picking up a fifth booking at Brighton. |
Latest | January 2008