Wycombe v Sutton preview

29 August 2023

Sutton create a piece of club history on Tuesday evening with a game in the Carabao Cup 2nd round for the first time ever. U's will be wearing amber for the tie away to League One Wycombe Wanderers.

Having gone out at the first stage in each of the past two seasons, it was a case of third time lucky when U's knocked Cambridge United out on penalties at the VBS Community Stadium earlier this month to earn a trip to Wycombe, who won 2-0 at MK Dons in the first round and will be looking to go beyond this stage for only the third time in the seventeen seasons since they reached the semi finals in 2007.

It will be the first meeting between the sides since the FA Trophy semi final in April 1993 when Sutton came back from Adams Park with a 3-2 first leg win, but Wycombe proved too strong a week later at Sutton, winning 4-0 for a 6-3 aggregate success, and they went on to achieve the double of the FA Trophy and promotion to the Football League at the end of that season.

After losing their first two league games of this season without scoring, Wycombe have taken seven points from their three subsequent games, most recently winning at Bristol Rovers on Saturday, and are in 14th place in League One.

Sutton's form has struggled since the Cambridge game, with four straight league defeats dropping U's in to the bottom two in League Two, but striker Harry Smith is available again tonight having served his suspension. Craig Eastmond is again likely to be missing through injury, and D'Mani Mellor, on loan from Wycombe, is cup-tied after appearing as a substitute for them in the win at MK. Scott Kashket makes a return to the club for whom he made over 100 appearances between 2016 and 2021.

Simon Mather, who was originally appointed to referee the game, was injured on Saturday so in charge will be Chris Pollard, who last refereed a Sutton game in February 2022 at Bristol Rovers, and previously took charge of a number of our games at National League and National League South level. He is in his fifth season as an EFL referee.

If the scores are level after 90 minutes the game will go straight to penalties with no extra time, and the winners will go in to the third round draw, the stage at which those Premier League clubs competing in Europe join the competition. The draw will be on Wednesday evening live on Sky following the televised game between Doncaster and Everton, and will be unseeded and unregionalised.

Ticket prices are £15 for adults aged 26-64, £5 for age 11 and under, and £10 for everyone else. Tickets can be purchased from Ticket Office 1, where any pre-ordered tickets can also be collected, and our accommodation is in the WhiffAway East Stand, entry through turnstiles 3-5. Please note that Adams Park is an entirely cashless stadium and all purchases must be made by card.

There will be a live commentary on our iFollow service on Tuesday. Match passes can be bought for £2.50, but monthly passes are available for £4.49 and season passes for £45, both excellent value. For the Carabao Cup only, games are not available to watch overseas, but overseas supporters can also follow the audio commentary for £2.50. Passes can be bought here.

The Supporters' Club coach leaves the VBS at 4pm.

For those travelling independently by car, it is possible to book tickets for the upper tier car park (HP12 4HJ) on a first come first serve basis by clicking here. The cost is £5, and spaces must be booked in advance by midday on Tuesday. It is not possible to pay for parking on the night. Spaces are reserved until 30 minutes before kick off. Drivers should leave the M40 at junction 4 and follow the signs to Aylesbury on the A4010 (John Hall Way). Cross over three small roundabouts into New Road continuing down the hill to two mini roundabouts at the bottom. Turn sharp left at the first into Lane End Road and continue to the next mini roundabout at which turn right into Hillbottom Road. Adams Park is situated at the very end of the road.

High Wycombe station is served by a reasonably frequent service from Marylebone, with a journey time of around half an hour. The station is about two and a half miles from the ground, but there is a shuttle bus running from the station from 6.30pm, cost £3, or bus 32 goes to the Hourglass pub, near the end of Lane End Road.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Match report for Wycombe Wanderers 0 Sutton United 1

29 August 2023

Wycombe Wanderers 0 Sutton United 1 (O'Brien 19)

Sutton's run in the Carabao Cup continued as Aiden O'Brien's first half goal earned a battling win at Adams Park and put U's in the third round draw with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

U's fielded a line-up showing five changes from the defeat at Newport, with Harry Smith returning after suspension and Ryan Jackson, Louis John, Christian N'Guessan and O'Brien all starting, John taking the captain's armband with Harry Beautyman one of those reverting to the substitutes' bench, while Wycombe retained eight of the eleven that had won at Bristol Rovers, with Welsh international Sam Vokes leading the attack.

It was another experienced striker, Garath McCleary, who came close to giving Wycombe the lead after seven minutes when a pass from Freddie Potts split the defence, and Jack Rose made a fine save to deny McCleary, Ben Goodliffe diving to divert Potts' follow up shot.

Vokes also tested Rose with a shot which the keeper held well, and Richard Keogh headed over from a good position following a corner, but it was Sutton who struck in the 19th minute when Smith's flick on was helped on by Josh Coley to O'Brien, who slotted a shot past the advancing Max Stryjek for his first Sutton goal.

Sutton might have had another five minutes later when Coley's pace took him clear on the right and his cross was volleyed just wide by Smith, and eleven minutes before half time a pass from John sent Omari Patrick clear on the left but his shot was too close to Stryjek. Coley saw a low shot blocked after Rob Milsom's cross had been cleared, but Wycombe had their moments before the break as well and Rose made another fine save to keep out a Potts shot as Sutton reached half time with the lead that some of the football deserved.

Wycombe started the second half well, and Rose saved from Vokes following a corner while substitute Luke Leahy, who had replaced Harry Boyes at half time, was booked for dissent within five minutes of his arrival. Potts headed against the outside of the post and Killian Phillips volleyed just wide from Leahy's cross as the home side kept the pressure on.

U's made two changes on the hour, Jackson and O'Brien, both short of minutes this season, replaced by Joe Kizzi and Lee Angol, but were still under pressure and Vokes hit the post with a header from a corner after Wycombe's own substitute, David Wheeler, had forced a hurried clearance from John. As the changes continued, Omar Sowunmi came on as an attacker to replace Smith, but U's were still having to defend and Wheeler flashed a header just wide from Vincent-Young's cross and sent another one over the top from Leahy's cross. U's held firm, though, defending stoutly and managing seven minutes of stoppage time superbly to claim a second consecutive notable cup win at Adams Park, with this time no second leg to ruin it.

Sutton: J Rose, R Jackson(sub J Kizzi 60) R Milsom(sub S Kashket 83), C Clay, B Goodliffe, L John, J Coley(sub H Beautyman 83), C N'Guessan, H Smith(sub O Sowunmi 72), A O'Brien(sub L Angol 61), O Patrick. Subs n/u B House, C Dundas, T Fadahunsi, H Kasimu. Booked: Coley, Sowunmi

Wycombe: M Stryjek, K Vincent-Young, J Low, J Scowen, C Forino, R Keogh, K Phillips(sub D Wheeler 70), F Potts, S Vokes(sub K Breckin 83), G McCleary(sub T De Barr 70), H Boyes(sub L Leahy H-T). Subs n/u L Shala, J McCarthy, J Pattenden, C Ward, D Skura. Booked: Low, Leahy

Referee: Chris Pollard

Attendance: 1,778(282 away)

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Wycombe Wanderers vs Sutton United - Replay - Tue 29th August 2023

Wycombe Wanderers vs Sutton United - Highlights - Tue 29th August 2023

Wycombe Wanderers vs Sutton United - Extended highlights - Tue 29th August 2023