For the third time in eleven days, Wycombe and
Shrewsbury would do battle with one another. This time it was an FA Cup first round replay and this time the match would be played in Shrewsbury, not High Wycombe. The previous two meetings between the teams ended in a draw and a 2-1 victory to Wycombe. Because of their previous win, Andy was full of confidence and didn’t fear having to go into Gay Meadows and try and get out of there with a victory, he knew it was possible.
The match got underway and got off to a bit of a slow start, not unlike the previous two matches. Andy referred to the early stages of the matches as more of a cat and mouse game rather than a feeling out period. What Andy was saying made sense when you consider that the teams had to know each other so well by this point and time.
Ian Stonebridge came close to opening the scoring in the thirty-second minute with the first real scoring chance of the match, attempting a bicycle kick which went just wide and struck the side netting. The Wycombe fans rose to their feet and let out a massive groan when that shot struck the side netting, they knew how close they came to taking the lead in the match.
Stonebridge thought that he had given his side the lead for the second time in the match on the stroke of half-time when he headed home yet another great cross off the boot of Chris Palmer. It was not to be, however, the goal would be disallowed as it was ruled that Stonebridge fouled the Shrewsbury defender in the penalty area.
The pressure kept up from Wycombe, Sergio Torres let gone one of his trademark long drives which forced a save from the keep to keep the game scoreless. The look of frustration was clearly evident on the midfielders face. He had been trying to get going and put the ball into the back of the net for so long but had been unable to
Ian Stonebridge had another great opportunity to put his side ahead on the stroke of half-time, taking a nicely played through ball from Sergio Torres but put his shot just wide of the post. The chances were certainly there for Andy’s side but the finish was not. It was going to be something that needed to change in the second half if Wycombe wanted to keep their FA Cup dreams alive.
Wycombe kept up the pressure in the second half, Anthony Grant nearly gave his side the lead just six minute after the restart but sent his header just over the crossbar. Andy paced the touchline, hoping these missed opportunities would not come back to haunt them later in the match.
At the other end, the rarely called into action Ricardo Batista was forced to turn an in close blast around the post, conceding a corner kick to Shrewsbury. The crowd were rocking now, they could sense that a goal was coming their way. Andy, on the other hand, felt sick. Worse than that, he felt as if he was going to faint.
His worries would increase in the seventy-eighth minute when David Edwards committed an absolutely vicious tackle on Wycombe’s Chris Palmer. Andy was screaming at the referee to give Edwards a straight red card and send him for an early shower. Alas, Andy’s pleas fell on deaf ears and Edwards was shown just a yellow card.
Wycombe made one last ditch effort to avoid extra time and find the winning goal as the clock struck the ninety minute mark as Chris Palmer sent one of his trademark crosses into the penalty area to try and pick out the head of Ian Stonebridge but it was too far for anyone to get on to and went harmlessly out of bounds.
The match was headed to extra-time and Andy wasn’t feeling any better physically, and mentally he thought he was going to go absolutely bonkers. He wasn’t a man who got nervous but there was clearly something wrong with him. He gave his head a shake, trying to stop the dizzy spells he had been suffering for the last half an hour or so.
”You alright boss?” Ian Culverhouse asked him
”Yeah mate. Just worried is all.” Andy replied with an uneasy tone.
Andy felt his heart sink in the one hundred and second minute when the now infamous David Edwards finished off a mad scramble in front of the Wycombe goal Edwards celebrated seemingly endlessly and it was all making Andy hurt on the inside.
But his spirits would be lifted just two minutes later when Chris Palmer crossed a Rob Williamson long ball into the penalty area which Anthony Grant calmly stuffed the ball into the back of the goal after the cross was dreadfully misplayed in the air by the Shrewsbury defender.
Wycombe had drawn level and the Wycombe fans who had made the journey to Gay Meadows were absolutely loving it in the stands. Andy figured the match would be destined for penalties now but they had just proved that anything can happen in cup football.
Wycombe’s hopes were given a boost in the one hundred and seventh minute when David Edwards, the Shrewsbury goal scorer, picked up his second yellow card of the match and was sent off. This pleased everyone who had anything to do with Wycombe and greatly upset anyone who was a Shrewsbury fan. They were down to ten men, now Andy had to throw his men up and attack in the final few minutes. He did not want to go to penalties.
Wycombe made one last push towards the Shrewsbury goal to try and find the winner but it was not to be as the whistle blew for the end of extra time and the game was still level at one goal a piece. The match was headed for the dreaded penalty shoot-out, the one place where Andy did not want to end up. Luckily for Andy, he didn’t have to watch the penalty shootout.
That’s because he fainted.
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