Northampton 2, Wanderers 3,

Wanderers will have to go through the play-offs if they are to get promoted this season after their hopes of automatic promotion were ended – despite scoring a 97th minute winner against Northampton at Sixfields on Saturday afternoon.

Blues were 2-0 up and cruising at half-time after two goals in three minutes from Aaron Holloway and a first in Wycombe colours for Nico Yennaris.

The Chairboys had briefly moved into the top three, courtesy of Morecambe beating Southend and Tranmere holding Bury, but once the Shakers scored at Prenton Park things started to go wrong for Wanderers.

Sam Wood turned the ball into his own net – an incident which saw him collide with Matt Ingram, forcing the goalkeeper to be replaced by Alex Lynch, who made his debut for the club.

The debutant was powerless to stop Ryan Cresswell equalising with just six minutes left, but Wanderers’ never say die spirit came to the fore in the seventh minute of injury time as Alfie Mawson buried the winner with the last kick of the game.

Plymouth await Wycombe in the play-offs after a fourth place finish in League Two, which was surely beyond any Blues fan’s wildest dreams at the beginning of August.

Gareth Ainsworth had played his cards close to his chest pre-match, regarding the fitness of several players, and he sprung a few surprises with his starting XI as he made three changes from the side that lost 1-0 against Morecambe seven days previously.

Aaron Pierre, back from suspension, came straight back in to partner Mawson in central defence while Matt Bloomfield and Fred Onyedinma were dropped to the bench with Hogan Ephraim and Holloway taking their place in the starting line-up.

Wanderers fans had snapped up their full allocation of tickets for the game and just four minutes into the match they were in full voice as news filtered through that Jack Redshaw had put Morecambe in front against Southend.

At Sixfields, Wanderers soaked up some early pressure from the hosts as it became clear that Yennaris was playing the holding role and Marcus Bean was again chosen to fill the right-back berth.

And it was Bean who gave away a corner after nine minutes after pressure from Cobblers’ top scorer Marc Richards, although the ever reliable Mawson won an important header to clear.

The game had got off to a slow start and it took 15 minutes before the first shot on goal arrived. Lawson D'Ath, who scored a wonder goal against Burton last weekend, picked the ball up on the edge of the box after Ivan Toney had dummied Richards’ centre and fired low into the hands of a grateful Ingram.

Wanderers responded almost immediately when Hayes, who was lurking in the box, latched onto Holloway’s knockdown from Sam Wood’s cross and sent a toe poked effort crashing against the bar.

Shwan Jalal was beaten all ends up and watched on helplessly as the ball hit the underside of the bar and came out, to the disappointment of a packed away stand.

The game badly needed a spark and it duly arrived after 35 minutes when Holloway scored just his third, and most important, goal in Wycombe colours.

The striker volleyed home emphatically, sending the away fans into raptures, as the ball looped up to him in the penalty area following Hayes’ header.

Wanderers’ travelling contingent were jubilant and they had barely finished celebrating when Jalal was picking the ball out of his net for a second time.

Hayes flicked a long ball over the top of Northampton’s backline and into the path of Yennaris, who was sprinting in behind the defence.

He showed all the composure of seasoned goal scorer as he dribbled the ball 30 yards before passing it into the far corner for his first goal of the season.

There might be a big boxing match on early on Sunday morning but Wanderers had hit the Cobblers with a quick fire one-two combination and seemingly floored the hosts.

Ainsworth was celebrating again before half-time as Pierre tapped home at the far post but his celebrations were short-lived as the linesman on the far side flagged for offside.

After a bright start the home side had faded, although they called Ingram into action moments before the break as he saved comfortably after Richards headed goalwards at the back post.

The scorer of Wanderers’ first goal, Holloway, was out for the second half long before his team mates, clearly still feeling the effects of a muscle injury which ruled him out of Wycombe’s last away trip to AFC Wimbledon.

When the striker’s team mates joined him on the pitch they began the second half sluggishly and were almost made to pay immediately when Lawson D’Ath connected sweetly with a cut back to the edge of the box and his shot forced Ingram to beat it away.

The ‘keeper was beaten moments later as Joel Byrom drove goalwards and was only denied by Pierre, who had taken up a position on the goal line. An eruption of noise from the away fans signalled Morecambe had regained the lead at Southend and for the first time on Saturday afternoon Wanderers were heading for League One.

The unbridled joy among the travelling fans lasted for only a few minutes however as Bury took the lead against Tranmere to drop Blues down to fourth.

With their team’s fate out of their hands and safe in the comfort of a two goal lead, most of the away supporters had taken to checking their phones instead of watching the action at Sixfields – what little action there was.

The hosts were growing in confidence as Wanderers sat back and the visitors were punished for their lack of ambition as Wood turned the ball past Ingram after 66 minutes.

The left-back swung a leg and diverted Ivan Toney’s cross into his own net just as it looked as though Ingram would gather. Wood clattered into the Wanderers ‘keeper and there were worrying times as he needed treatment before continuing.

That goal pressed Wanderers into action and the travelling fans, who were now behind Jalal, saw the Cobblers stopper make a super stop to tip Mawson’s header from Wood’s corner over the bar.

Ingram had played every minute for Wycombe this season but with 15 minutes left he couldn’t continue and Lynch came on to make his Wanderers debut.

Peter Murphy, who hadn’t scored since November, came agonisingly close to wrapping up the points with Wycombe’s first shot of the second half as he drew a fine save from Jalal with a driven effort from the edge of the box.

The away fans despair turned to despondency with six minutes left as Cresswell nodded Jason Taylor’s long throw past a helpless Lynch.

With results elsewhere going against them three points wouldn’t have been enough, but they almost snatched them when substitute Onyedinma struck a post after shooting from a tight angle.

Ainsworth and his staff were up in arms as the game ticked into stoppage time as the referee stopped play for a head injury just as Onyedinma had burst into the box and had a chance to fire a shot on goal.

Seven minutes of injury time were added on and in the last of those Mawson stroked home a beautiful effort with the last kick of the game to end Wanderers’ season on the note it deserved.

The play-offs now beckon for Blues.

Northampton: Jalal, Diamond, Cresswell, Horwood, D’Ath, Taylor, Byrom, Holmes, O’Toole (Hackett), Toney, Richards
Substitutes not used: Duke, Carter, Gray, De Girolamo, Warburton, Clifton
Goals: Wood (OG) 66, Cresswell 84,

Wanderers: Ingram (Lynch), Yennaris, Wood, Mawson, Pierre, Bean, Murphy, Ephraim (Bloomfield), Holloway (Onyedinma), Craig, Hayes
Substitutes not used: Fletcher, Jacobson, Kretzschmar,
Goals: Holloway 35, Yennaris 38, Mawson 90+7

Referee: Mr Charles Breakspear
Assistant referees: Mr Nick Hobbis and Mr Paul Thompson
Fourth official: Mr Steven Meredith

Attendance: 5,723 (916 Wanderers)