Wycombe 0,

Fulham 1.

 

WYCOMBE bowed out of the Capital One Cup at the first hurdle as Championship outfit Fulham bagged a second half winner.

It was harsh on Wanderers who went toe-to-toe with their higher league opponents and they might have won it had it not been for a glaring first half miss from their striker Garry Thompson, a former Wembley finalist in this competition with Bradford City.

But in front of a crowd of 4,012, Wanderers biggest cup gate since Chelsea’s visit in the League Cup semi-final of 2007, Fulham finally made the breakthrough on 69 minutes as Alex Kacaniklic swept in Ben Pringle’s cross when Wycombe had been on top.

Wanderers always looked capable of causing an upset but their rhythm was broken by a lengthy second half injury break when they were on top and Fulham took full advantage to book their place in round two.

Fulham made five changes from the side which started in the Championship on Saturday while Wanderers showed three changes from the side which opened their League Two campaign with a 3-0 win over York City.

Out went skipper Paul Hayes, midfielder Luke O’Nien and the injured Aaron Pierre and in came Danny Rowe, Michael Harriman and Stephen McGinn for his Wanderers debut.

With Hayes rested and starting on the bench, Joe Jacobson wore the captain’s armband.

Fulham began with a nice spell of keep ball, which typified their approach, but Wanderers could have caught them cold with their first attack. Garry Thompson escaped down the Fulham left but his magnificent cross was just a bit too high for Aaron Amadi-Holloway to get any purchase on.

It was an indication though that Wanderers weren’t going to be overawed by their opponents from two divisions higher.

But the hosts could have found themselves behind after seven minutes. Ross McCormack collected Ben Pringle’s cross and cut inside his marker only to pull his low shot just a lick of paint wide of the far post.

It was a rare chance though. Fulham enjoyed plenty of possession but with the willing Wanderers snapping at their heels, the visitors found chances hard to come by.

At the other end Thompson and Amadi-Holloway were willing runners but it was midfielder Michael Harriman who got the next clear chance but he hurriedly flashed his bright yellow boot at it and fluffed his shot.

Wycombe provided further notice of their intent though when Thompson fed Bean with a delicious ball, but just as Bean was set to pull the trigger from six yards he was brushed off the ball.

There were dangers at the other end though with McCormack finding pockets of space all over the park. He released Pringle down the left and when Pringle centred, Wanderers were lucky that Jamie O’Hara left his shooting boots on the team bus.

If Blues were lucky then, Fulham had a bigger slice of luck when their keeper Marcus Bettinelli inexplicably fumbled Joe Jacobson’s 27th minute free kick under no pressure at all and then was awarded a free kick when Danny Rowe tried to snaffle up the rebound.

And the visitors’ luck was in again on the half hour mark when the unmarked Thompson – a Wembley finalist with Bradford City – snatched at a chance he should have buried.

It was a miss that keeps strikers awake at night. Jacobson’s free kick was headed into his path by Anthony Stewart and with the goal gaping Thompson fired the chance he should have gobbled up high and wide from eight yards.

He had his head in his hands and the feeling was that Wanderers might live to regret their profligacy in an opening period of such limited clear chances.

Wycombe’s defence certainly weren’t giving much away but they were unpicked in the 40th minute when McCormack latched onto a through ball to lift the ball over Matt Ingram and into the net only to have his celebrations cut short by the linesman’s flag.

It was a sign that the Londoners were winding up the pressure though and Blues needed a last-ditch block to stay on level terms as the teams headed down the tunnel for their half time cuppa with neither goalkeeper having to make a save.

Wycombe began the second half well on top but their rhythm was broken up by a lengthy injury to Fulham’s Jack Grimmer who left the field on a stretcher.

Fulham used the break to regroup and substitute Ashley Richards warmed Ingram’s hands as he fired the first shot on target for either side on 65 minutes.

It wasn’t enough to appease Fulham boss Kit Symons and he brought on attacking ace Matt Smith.

But before the striker could jog into position, Fulham snatched the lead with a classic counter attack. Pringle used his pace to break clear and cut back a low ball straight into the stride of Alex Kacaniklic who swept the ball into the net.

Jacobson curled a free kick over the Fulham bar as Wycombe sought a response and they shuffled their pack with the introduction of Jason Banton for Thompson and Hayes for Amadi-Holloway while Sellers came on for Wood.

Wycombe huffed and puffedbut Fulham stood firm to ensure there was no repeat of 2006 when Wanderers dumped them out of the competition.

It was tough on Wanderers who deserved at least the opportunity of 30 minutes extra time. They threw crosses into the box in the six minutes of injury time that were added on but Fulham defended manfully to win the tie as Wanderers went out to Championship opposition for the fourth time in a row.