Match ends, Wycombe Wanderers 0, Stoke City 1.
WycombeWycombe Wanderers0StokeStoke City1
Wycombe Wanderers supporters finally got to see their side play in the Championship for the first time as a 1,000-strong socially-distanced crowd watched their loss to Stoke City.
The hosts almost gave their fans the perfect start when Stoke's Nick Powell flicked a corner onto his own post after four minutes
Stoke had the majority of the chances and finally took the lead through Powell, who found himself unmarked at the far post to head home James McClean's cross from the left.
Tyrese Campbell brought a good save out of Wycombe keeper Ryan Allsop 10 minutes later while Anthony Stewart fired over from eight yards in stoppage time for the hosts.
The win keeps Stoke in eighth place in the Championship, a point off the play-off places, while Wycombe remain third-from-bottom and three points from safety.
The Chairboys, who beat Oxford United in July's League One play-off final to win promotion to the second tier for the first time in the club's history, were one of six EFL clubs to allow fans into their grounds after the Covid-19 lockdown in England ended on Tuesday night.
But while Wycombe hit the post, it was Stoke who created more first-half chances with Daryl Horgan clearing Jacob Brown's 12th-minute header off the line, while Sam Vokes twice headed over.
Horgan fired over after creating a good opening in the box with 25 minutes to go as Wycombe drew a blank for the ninth time in 15 games in the second tier, while at the other end Powell almost got on the end of a McClean cross shortly before his goal.
Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"I'm really proud of the boys, we have the Wycombe identity back, I think the fans helped with that, and if we keep playing like that there'll be no worries that this lot will be watching Championship football next year as well.
"We've made strides tonight, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've just said to the boys that two months ago we were sat in a dressing room at Blackburn Rovers worrying about how we were going to compete, how we were going to do and are we good enough for this league?
"Tonight I think we've proved that we can compete with teams, we can compete with a big physical outfit like Stoke, we take that to the teams in this league and I'm sure we'll do well."
On the return of fans to Adams Park: "I will give nothing less than my absolute best for this club and they understand that.
"They're Championship fans, they deserve to be called Championship fans and I was really proud walking around the pitch before the game."
Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill told BBC Radio Stoke:
"We knew we had a tough game tonight, you have to deal with a promoted team that are playing to stay in the division from the first game and don't make any bones about that, you have to match their attitude to the game and their appetite for the game.
"I thought we did that very well and first half, we showed some real moments of quality, got down the sides, possibly could have done better with a number of the balls that we put into the box.
"Second half I thought we always looked like we were a pass away or a moment away from creating a clear-cut chance, which we did, and Nick takes the goal well. It's a well-worked goal, and I felt on the night we deserved to win the game."
Line-ups
Wycombe
Formation 4-1-3-2
- 1Allsop
- 2Grimmer
- 12Knight
- 5Stewart
- 3JacobsonBooked at 67mins
- 26McCarthySubstituted forAkinfenwaat 54'minutes
- 17Horgan
- 10BloomfieldSubstituted forMcClearyat 76'minutes
- 23Onyedinma
- 25SamuelBooked at 15minsSubstituted forKashketat 63'minutes
- 7Wheeler
Substitutes
- 11Kashket
- 19McCleary
- 20Akinfenwa
- 22Freeman
- 27Parker
- 31Stockdale
- 33Mehmeti
- 34Burley
- 36Linton
Stoke
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 32Bursik
- 37Collins
- 12ChesterBooked at 80mins
- 6Batth
- 3Fox
- 24CousinsBooked at 57mins
- 22ClucasBooked at 90mins
- 18BrownSubstituted forMcCleanat 62'minutesBooked at 73mins
- 25PowellSubstituted forOakley-Bootheat 85'minutes
- 26Campbell
- 9VokesSubstituted forSmithat 90+4'minutes
Substitutes
- 5Lindsay
- 7Ince
- 11McClean
- 14Smith
- 17Shawcross
- 20Oakley-Boothe
- 23Verlinden
- 28Lonergan
- 35Tymon
- Referee:
- Darren Bond
- Attendance:
- 1,000
Match Stats
Home TeamWycombeAway TeamStoke
- Possession
- Home45%
- Away55%
- Shots
- Home8
- Away14
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away4
- Corners
- Home3
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home13
- Away8
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Wycombe Wanderers 0, Stoke City 1.
Post update
James Chester (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Fred Onyedinma (Wycombe Wanderers).
Booking
Sam Clucas (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Offside, Stoke City. Josef Bursik tries a through ball, but Tyrese Campbell is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Stoke City. Tommy Smith replaces Sam Vokes.
Post update
Tashan Oakley-Boothe (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Josh Knight (Wycombe Wanderers).
Post update
Attempt missed. Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Post update
Attempt missed. Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Daryl Horgan following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Josef Bursik.
Post update
Tyrese Campbell (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Fred Onyedinma (Wycombe Wanderers).
Post update
Attempt blocked. David Wheeler (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Post update
Offside, Stoke City. James McClean tries a through ball, but Sam Vokes is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Stoke City. Tashan Oakley-Boothe replaces Nick Powell.
Post update
Attempt saved. Tyrese Campbell (Stoke City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Booking
James Chester (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by James Chester (Stoke City).
