MANAGER Lawrie Sanchez says the heat is on for Saturday's Bournemouth match after Wycombe's midweek win over Chesterfield fuelled the club's play-off hopes.

A Sean Devine goal his second in two matches was enough to give the Blues all three points at Chesterfield on Tuesday night and send the 150 Wycombe fans who braved the elements back home happy.

Wycombe scored with a freakish second-half goal set up by a long ball by Martin Taylor. The ball bounced twice over the heads of defenders and came to Devine who had made a gamble on getting behind the defence.

His shot was scuffed but the ball unerringly found the corner to spark off celebrations on and off the pitch.

Devine said: "I didn't even know who set it up. I didn't even know where the goal was."

Wycombe held on for the final whistle, leaving Sanchez a happy man.

He said: "This was a very big win for us. We rode our luck at times despite dominating the first forty minutes of play.

"We ran the game in midfield but could not find the all important ball from the flanks. But at the end of the first half they looked the more likely to score when we had to clear off the line and watch as our crossbar was rattled.

"The goal when it came was against the run of play, a long ball down the middle that Sean Devine anticipated only as he can.

"I thought he scuffed the shot but it found the far corner of the goal and from then on we defended very well.

"It makes Saturday's visit to Bournemouth even more important for us."

February 14, 2002 13:38