Wycombe’s frustrating start to the season took another turn for the worse with the midweek Carabao Cup defeat at home to Sutton United and now the pressure is back on when they return to league action against Northampton Town on Saturday, September 2.

With confidence high after the excellent win at Bristol Rovers four days earlier, a full-strength Wanderers team were favourites to beat Sutton who had lost four successive games in League Two before their trip to a rainswept Adams Park on Tuesday night.

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However, a defensive mix up led to Sutton taking the lead and chances were missed as the Chairboys dominated possession in their ultimately fruitless search for an equaliser. 

It is taking more time for Matt Bloomfield’s new look team to gel than a minority of impatient fans are prepared to accept, but he is trying to introduce a style of play that is more pleasing on the eye-the very thing those same fans demanded when they tired of Gareth Ainsworth’s more direct methods.

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The first league visit to Northampton for seven years is a perfect opportunity to silence the critics, but previous games between the clubs have been remarkably even with 10 wins each and 13 draws since they first met in a FA Cup tie in 1958.

In those days, Wanderers-then an Isthmian League club-had a great record in cup competitions, having appeared at Wembley the previous season in the FA Amateur Cup Final, but the visit to Northampton’s old ground ended in a 2-0 defeat.

The clubs have met 32 times since then, the most recent just over a year ago in a Carabao Cup tie with Wycombe earning a 2-1 win thanks to a trademark Joe Jacobson free kick and a goal by D’Mani Mellor, Northampton reducing the arrears from the penalty spot.

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The last four fixtures between the clubs were all in cup competitions with Wanderers winning each time. 

However, Northampton won the last league encounter, only their second league victory against the Chairboys in the last eleven meetings.