Wycombe 2,

Northampton 3

 

WYCOMBE Wanderers were knocked off the top of the table as Northampton Town came from behind to inflict a second defeat of the season on Gareth Ainsworth’s men in a five-goal thriller.

The Blues took the lead through Luke O’Nien after just 70 seconds but it turned out to be the worst thing they could do.

It meant Northampton had to come out and attack. And stung into positive action, they produced by far and away the most adventurous performance of any side to visit Adams Park this season.

Their movement up front and passing caused Wanderers problems all afternoon as they opened up a 3-1 lead and Wycombe who are not used to be in losing situations struggled for ideas after falling behind.

Danny Rowe’s 82nd minute goal raised hopes of another grandstand finish by Wanderers but Wycombe could not produce a match-saving third goal and tasted defeat for just the second time this season.

The Blues had reached the League Two summit on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Cambridge and they got there by conceding just five goals – fewer than anyone else in the division.

But Michael Harriman the man whose midweek thunderbolt shot them to the top of the pile was a non-starter this time around with a groin injury.

His absence meant a defensive reshuffle and a return for Danny Rowe at centre back and he could not have had a better start laying on Wanderers’ opening goal after just seventy seconds.

On the halfway line he looked up and flighted a ball onto the head of Luke O’Nien who needed no second invitation to plant the free-est of headers into the back of the Northampton net.

It was the best possible start and it cost one fan £100. Earlier in the week he had pledged to donate a ton to the share scheme if O’Nien opened his account.

Northampton, were as bright as their pink shirts though and they saw plenty of the ball and goal provider Rowe had to show his defensive quality to nick the ball away from the very lively Sam Hoskins.

Then the Cobblers’ Nick Adams was just a fag paper away from turning in Marc Richards’ cross which whistled dangerously across the face of goal.

Wycombe had another let-off minutes later as Joe Byron went close with a long range effort that ricocheted off a defender and out for a corner.

But having been under pressure almost since scoring, Wanderers almost snatched a second through Gozie Ugwu the striker who was at Northampton in the summer before his trial was cut short by a hamstring injury.

He got on the end of a Joe Jacobson free kick but his close range effort smacked the keeper in the chest and went out for a corner.

It was a sign of better things to come for Wanderers and Garry Thompson looked to have got away from the  visiting defence but David Buchanan raced back to deny him before he could pull the trigger.

At the other end though Northampton refused to go away. Blues keeper Matt Ingram had to flick out a strong reflex left hand to deny Hoskins after his clever run into the box was picked out by the pass of the day from Buchanan.

As the game swung from end to end, Thompson found himself bearing down on the keeper Adam Smith but as the Wanderers striker tried to clip the ball over him, Adam Smith made the save.

The Cobblers keeper then needed the woodwork to come to his rescue when Amadi-Holloway stabbed a shot goalwards after yet another Joe Jacobson free kick had caused consternation in the visitors’ box.

Northampton continued to cause Wycombe plenty of problems though with their short passing and slick movement and Wycombe were living dangerously.

Marc Richards let them off the hook with a tame finish into Ingram’s gloves before twice in a matter of seconds Aaron Pierre and Joe Jacobson had to head off their own line as Northampton piled on the pressure from a corner.

Northampton’s pressure and classy attacking paid off though on 35 minutes and the goal they deserved was a beauty when it came. Marcus Bean picked up a booking for a foul on Richards, which means he will miss the trip to Bristol Rovers in the JPT on Tuesday, but that was only half of the punishment as Richards bent a stunning free kick into the back of the Wycombe net from the edge of the D.

With parity restored, the same player went close from a similar situation soon after, belting another free kick into the wall and then smashing the rebound just over the top after Wycombe had been panicked into conceding the set piece.

Wanderers’ best weapon was their set pieces and in first half injury time Jacobson picked out Thompson who could not direct his flicked header on target.

Maybe it was because they had gone a goal behind so early on, but Northampton were easily the most adventurous side to visit Adams Park this season and it made for a cracking first half for the 4,227 in attendance.

And their adventure continued immediately after the restart as they scored as quickly as Wycombe did in the first period.

Nicky Adams teased in a cross and Lawson D’ath rose to steer his header beyond Ingram just 74 seconds into the second half.

Five minutes later and it got worse as Shaun Brisley became the third player of the afternoon to loop a header into the goal in front of the terrace.

On both goals the marking had been questionable to put it kindly.

Wanderers now needed two just to level and it was hard to see where a comeback was coming from. Bean made a vital block to prevent a fourth Northampton goal before Ainsworth made a double change with Matt Bloomfield and Sam Wood coming on for Amadi-Holloway and Stephen McGinn.

Wycombe desperately needed a break as they struggled to create and they thought they had it when Wood centred for O’Nien who could not direct his header beyond Smith in the visitors’ goal.

O’Nien was replaced by Max Kretzschmar with ten minutes remaining and the comeback looked like it might be on two minutes later from the substitute’s corner.

The keeper flapped at it and Rowe smashed in Wanderers’ second to make Northampton hearts beat faster.

Northampton then wasted a chance to put the game beyond doubt when Dominic Calvert Lewin had a great chance only to find Ingram almost on top of him suffocating the space and making the save.

As the game swung back to the other end Pierre air-kicked a good chance on the edge of the box. A half chance fell to Kretzschmar in the box but the ball would not come down for him.

Blues were offered further hope when the five-minute board went up but this time they couldn’t produce one of their famous late finishes.