Stoke City outwit Wycombe by 1-0 to stay 8th

Wycombe 0 Stoke (0) 1 – 2/12/20 7.45pm

A smash-and-grab by Stoke, thanks to a 71st minute Powell header from a cross by sub McClean. Wycombe players spent the game moaning about everything, along with their 1000 fans, who returned to the ground for the first time. Stoke’s replacement players were solid, and kept Wycombe in their place (3rd from bottom). Stoke stay 8th. Here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
No Fletcher or Mikel, arguably the architects of this season’s Stoke success. Are Vokes, Cousins & Brown (who swaps with McClean) of the same calibre? No. So, it’s up to them to prove me wrong. 1000 fans will be standing, shouting but hopefully social distancing. We will see. How many arrests will there be tonight??!
4.05 Dopey Stoke defence almost caves for a corner which scrapes the post. Wake up, you’re on TV!
11.30 Brilliant header by Brown from a Clucas corner is headed off the line. It’s so impressive when a side shows they’ve actually practiced set-pieces…
14.45 Samuel accuses Bursik of bringing him down…only to receive a yellow card for diving. How many more tricks are we going to see from Gareth Ainsworth’s side?
24.25 Clucas hits a shot first time that even the corner flag will never see. Throw in…
28.30 Excellent cross by Fox is headed just over by Jake Brown, but however good it looks, would McClean & Fletcher have done better…?
33.50 How can the ref get away with wearing similar colours to the home side?? Light blue shirt, dark shorts and stockings??
38.20 Collins gives the ball away, but Bursik saves comfortably. At the other end, Vokes tries another flick-header. Does he know any other types of header? Asking for a friend.
HT Another boring 0-0. OK, this Wednesday game is slightly better than the Wednesday game…
47.09 Set-piece disasters continue as Tyrese shies a corner move into the sky. Pulis really has unsettled the team as he did on Saturday.
50.38 Powell takes too long to shoot. What other striker options are there??! Verlinden? Ince?? Er…
55.30 Ref surrounded after Cousins’ late tackle. He gets a yellow, but how the bloated Wycombe sub Akinfenwa doesn’t get a yellow for flattening Clucas a few minutes before! Adebayo makes Charlie Adam look anorexic!
61.47 McClean regains his place, coming on for his replacement Jacob Brown.
67.15 McClean whips one in, but it’s just too high for Powell…Powell? Where is Vokes or Tyrese?!
70.19 1-0 !!!! Powell heads in McClean’s cross!! OK, so Vokes would have missed that. As for Michael O’Neill, he’ll be claiming the substitute changed everything. He’ll be unliveable with.
84.30 Tash Oakley-Boothe on for Powell. MON is going for the 1-0. Who wouldn’t?
90+3 More moaning by Wycombe players as Knight pole-axes Tash, then screams at the ref!! Tommy Smith comes on for Vokes.
90+6 Bursik punches clear, taking Smith out at the same time, and What happens? The Wycombe players have a good moan about it.
90+7 FT Wycombe Moaners 0 Stoke 1
Dave Lee
Dave Lee
Sports Reporter - Stoke City

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