November 14, 2024

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Wycombe 2 – 0 Portsmth

Wycombe 2 – 0 Portsmth

Anis Mehmeti scored one and made the other in Wycombe’s 2-0 victory over Portsmouth which lifted them into the top half of Sky Bet League One.

It was just what the Chairboys deserved for a largely dominant performance against an out-of-sorts Pompey, who allowed a chance to move into the play-off places to pass them by.

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Wycombe’s Anis Mehmeti gives the Chairboys an early lead against Portsmouth after hitting a fizzing strike from just inside the box

Wycombe were ahead after 13 minutes when David Wheeler battled to win a long ball before passing to Brandon Hanlan, who laid off for Mehmeti to hammer a first-time effort into the top corner.

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Alfie Mawson’s effort is desperately unlucky as he strikes the post with a half-volley

Alfie Mawson then came within a whisker of doubling the hosts’ lead five minutes before half-time when his shot hit the post after Ryan Tafazolli nodded the ball into his path.

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Gareth McCleary steers Wycombe’s second goal home to seal a 2-0 win over Portsmouth, after some superb work from Anis Mehmeti

Portsmouth improved in the second half but the closest they came to finding an equaliser was when Wycombe goalkeeper Max Stryjek tipped Reeco Hackett’s shot wide in the 74th minute.

Garath McCleary scored Wycombe's second
Image:
Garath McCleary scored Wycombe’s second

Pompey goalkeeper Griffiths then saved well from Lewis Wing before Garath McCleary made the game safe for Wycombe with two minutes remaining, stroking in Mehmeti’s cutback.

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Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth first arrived at Adams Park with Sky Sports’ David Craig – who was sporting a questionable leather jacket as he paid homage to the man known as ‘Wild Thing’ – and discussed the build-up to the historic match.

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Sky Sports’ David Craig joins Wycombe Wanderers boss Gareth Ainsworth to discuss his usual preparations and arrival ahead of a matchday

Sky Sports cameras were then permitted to film the exchange of the teamsheets between referee Scott Oldham, his assistants, Ainsworth’s assistant Richard Dobson, Wycombe captain Alfie Mawson and Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley.

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Ever wondered what the match officials say to both managers before the match? Sky Sports dives in behind the scenes to see what’s discussed between the match officials and both sets of managers

Sky Sports’ Don Goodman then spent time with Oldham, who explained the day-to-day life of an EFL referee.

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Sky Sports’ Don Goodman speaks to EFL referee Scott Oldham to see what it’s really like as a referee building up to a matchday and how they adapt for each game

Cameras installed inside both the dressing rooms captured animated half-time and full-time team talks, while Ainsworth was interviewed seconds before the start of the second half and Cowley discussed Pompey’s improvement midway through the second half.

What the managers said…

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Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth was delighted with his side’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth and joked that man of the match Anis Mehmeti has him worried for the January transfer window!

Wycombe’s Gareth Ainsworth: “It was great and I’m really proud today. It was a really well-deserved win. That was a great finish from Anis and a great lay-off from Brandon, which is something we’ve worked on.

“We have said to Anis to look for the pass, because he’s one of those players who sometimes beats one man and then wants to beat another. He’s winning headers now and getting more physical. The more this boy works, the better he’ll be. I’m worried about January!”

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Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley was left disappointed after his side’s 2-0 loss to Wycombe, admitting Pompey never hit their usual levels after their third defeat of the season

Portsmouth’s Danny Cowley: “There’s a sense of disappointment we didn’t get to our levels. We were short physically and you have to come here and earn the right and we didn’t. In the second half we came out and did better, but ultimately, lacked quality when we got into good areas.

“We managed to get control in the second half and got into their final third on numerous occasions, but the decision-making could have been better. We’re really disappointed today. It was well short of the standards we set ourselves. This is always a pivotal time of year. This is our first loss in 10, but we have to take the learning from this and move forward.”

What’s next?

Both teams are back in action at 3pm on Saturday December 10. Wycombe travel to the LNER Stadium to face Lincoln, while Portsmouth take on Accrington at the Wham Stadium.