No. 23: Adams Park [Wycombe Wanderers]

Friday, 3rd April 2015
Wycombe Wanderers v. Oxford United [League 2] 2-3

A welcome return to watching my own team again this weekend, this time in the big League Two M40 derby game away at Wycombe.

But, is it a real derby? Oxford fans, I'm afraid to say still mostly refuse to accept Wycombe have equal status, despite the fact that in the last 15 years it would be difficult to argue that Wycombe have had a much more successful time of it.

Since their promotion into the football League in the 90s, Wycombe have yo-yoed between the bottom two divisions on close to a 3-year cycle, and also got to an FA Cup semi-final in 2001. Whereas Oxford haven't raised their heads to the dizzy heights of League 1 since 2001. So it's hard to justify that Wycombe aren't on-par as footballing equals these days.

Sadly, I've been unable to convince a Wycombe fan to tell me what they make of the rivalry. That's the first time in 20 grounds I've visited this season for this blog that I've been unable to interview a fan of the home side. Shame on you, Wycombe.

I'm especially disappointed that former Doctor Who Colin Baker - a regular at Adams Park with his own column in the local rag - was unavailable for comment.

Relying instead on the 2012-13 football rivalry survey, it reveals that Wycombe hate Colchester and MK Dons more than Oxford, apparently. Answers on a postcard.

Either way, being only 23 miles down the road from each other, I think both sets of fans in this game are probably just unwilling to admit the truth that they love to get the better of their closest geographical Football League rival.

Assuming then that this IS a local derby that both sets of fans care about secretly - I was in for quite a day out of pretending to not care about smashing the filthy Chairboy scum on the pitch.

From a quick scour online there didn't seem to be much in the way of cultural attractions in High Wycombe. There was Disraeli's old Victorian pile Hughenden Manor just up the road. But I didn't fancy that, and otherwise Wycombe town centre is a reasonably generic old market town with a few regency and Victorian buildings and a couple of modern shopping centres - but nothing exceptional.

So I decided to focus instead on having a few quiet beers in a nice quiet pub, such as The White Horse on West Wycombe Road.

The White Horse at Wycombe - Scuzzy.

This is a delightful watering hole on the way to the ground from the town centre, and although in need of some refurbishment (it's extremely scuzzy), and an interesting reputation (it featured on a TV show called "Britain's Toughest Pubs") it's a great pre-match stopover (well, it's on the way).

Boasting a selection of real ales (real in the sense they exist, as fizzy keg lagers only), varied food selection (salted AND dry roasted nuts; pork scratchings on application), and features non-stop live entertainment (nudey lady strippers).

Adams Park is about a 20-minute walk away from here, and so after a few beers and sights to make your eyes water (and that's just the pork scratchings), we trudged off through the Desborough residential estate towards the ground.

Nawty Local Youth Firm.

Wycombe is a funny place - it's set amongst some of the most affluent parts of the UK, but the town itself actually contains some heavily deprived areas - indeed the district was rated the "4th dirtiest" in the entire South East of England in a 2007 GMB Union Survey. And I can tell you that after the filth I saw in that pub I can only agree with GMB.

The residential area that you walk through to get to Adams Park on first impression doesn't seem particularly run down, but this is apparently a notoriously deprived predominantly Muslim and south Asian area.

Walking to the ground we ended up amid throngs of residents having just left the Mosque for their usual Friday prayers - and we felt a little incongruous amongst the pious, skullcap-clad Muslims in their traditional shalwar kameez, ourselves slightly drunk and on our way to the football. It was certainly an odd backdrop to the strip-pub on the community's doorstep.

The walk to Adams Park: Dreary.

Adams Park itself is after the end of this residential area right on the edge of the town, down a long, long road containing the Sands Industrial Estate. And my goodness it is a long and dreary trudge down to the ground along Hillbottom Road.

Despite the local spice, I'm trying not to be too unfair to Wanderers and give each club in the 92 a fair crack on this blog. But Adams Park from the outside is a particularly uninspiring sight as you reach the end of the industrial cul-de-sac and emerge within eyeshot of The Chairboys' home since its construction in 1990.

Adams Park from the outside: Like a Leisure Centre.

I'm always surprised not to be greeted by Gordon Brittas as I try to enter the ground, as the main stand facing the approaching visitor looks more like a new-town leisure centre past its best than anything else.

Roasted Hog Disappointment: "There's only one R in Tariff".

Today's pre-match at the ground was meant to feature a beer tent and a special hog-roast to sample for the Easter weekend - sadly this was something of a disappointment.

The drizzly rain seemed to have dampened the bank holiday spirit and the beer tent was all but packed away by the time we got to the ground.

The roasted swine was also down to its bare bones and the crackling and apple sauce had already run out. But that didn't stop the miserly bastards trying to serve us a dry, under-filled bap of scrag-ends for the same money, did it?

I still had one, of course. Just grudgingly.

Inside the ground, Adams Park isn't quite so bad a sight - in fact the two-tiered, 5,000-capacity Frank Adams stand, sided into the hillside opposite the much smaller Main Stand, is a pretty decent affair.

Frank Adams Stand: Decent.

And for the away fans, housed in the stand behind the goal to the left of the Frank Adams stand, is also a decent single-tier effort, holding around 2,000 and usually close to packed whenever I've been here with Oxford, creating a decent atmosphere and carrying the sound of the singing travelling support well.

The Panache Stand: Housing the 1,600 Oxford Fans today.

It's just a shame about the other two stands really. I mean, fair enough, the home terracing in the main home end (currently named the Bucks New University Stand) would be welcomed by many fans these days, able to stand at a game rather than forced to sit down in bland all-seaters. So I'm sure Wycombe fans are happy to sacrifice a bit of aesthetics for the chance to stand at games.

But the 1,267-seater main stand, and currently rather clumsily-named Beachdean Farmhouse Dairy Ice Cream Stand, is a bit small, and a bit rubbish for a 'main' stand of a Football League club.

"Beachdean Farmhouse Dairy Ice Cream, give us a song - Beachdean Farmhouse Dairy Ice Cream, give us a song!"

Mind you, it did make a few laughs in the away end when myself and a couple of others tried to call out the occupants of the poorly-named stand to 'give us a song' in the traditional manner. Try and fit that around an iambic pentameter.

The game itself was an absolute cracker, and I'm sure any neutrals in the ground would have agreed. Whether Colin Baker would agree is another matter, given Wycombe were 2-0 behind after 22 minutes and playing catch-up for the rest of the game. 

But it was still end-to-end stuff from start to finish - and the home side having by far the better record this season and chasing promotion, were always in the game and threatening to shave three valuable points from relegation-threatened Oxford down to just the one. 

An Oxford attack in the 2nd Half.

Twice Wycombe came back to within a goal of levelling the game - first just after the re-start when they came out of the blocks second half raring to go against the visiting upstarts from up the M40. 

1-2 - game back on. Would unpredictable Oxford manage to hold back the resurgent Chairboys? Yes. Yes they would. On the hour mark Kemar Roofe slotted home a scuffed shot from a Danny Hylton cross into the box after some great work down the wing by man of the match Danny Rose - and boom - it was 1-3 to the visitors.

One particular fan in the home end was absolutely delighted with this.

Oxford's 3rd Goal: Delighted Fans.

Of course, there was always time for the Oxford fans to bite their nails a bit, and in the 89th minute Wycombe made it 2-3 when Aaron Holloway slid a shot into the bottom corner of the goal from inside the six yard box. And then we had another six minutes of added time. Squeaky bum time for the yellow quarter of the ground, unexpected hope of an audacious comeback for the three sides supporting the blue quarters.

Looking Towards the Bucks New Uni Terrace.

But it was not to be - Oxford clung on and now on 49 points, this season that should be enough to guarantee them safety and do their bit to ensure the M40 derby gets at least two outings again next year. We just need Wycombe to do their part now and not go up.

Only in the name of giving this pubescent derby rivalry a chance to develop - obviously.

Next Up - WOLVES! Monday 6th April.