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Milton Keynes Dons 1 : 0 Wycombe Wanderers
(Wycombe win 2-1 on aggregate)

Wycombe Wanderers survived an onslaught at Stadium MK to secure a date on May 21 in the League One playoff final. Despite chasing the ball for almost the entire 90 minutes, an amazing defensive performance held the Milton Keynes Dons to just one goal.

Protecting a 2-0 lead from the first leg was never going to be easy, but the hosts produced a dominant display to render it nearly impossible. Everything it was possible to throw at the Wycombe defence was thrown.

Anthony Stewart won header after header and tackle upon tackle to frustrate the white shirts. Joe Jacobson and Jordan Obita had their hands full with the threat posted by Theo Corbeanu on the Dons right wing.

In goal, David Stockdale produced save upon save; one from a Scott Twine free kick seemingly defying the laws of gravity. Sam Vokes’ highlight reel will include some key headers but all of them as a makeshift centre half as he assisted Stewart in rendering MK Don’s increasingly frantic aerial bombardment less and less effective.

It is some measure of the Welshman’s commitment that on occasions he was the last man back, knowing where his manager and team needed him most.

Whatever break from the Dons’ attack Wycombe could muster, the ball soon found its way to the commanding Dons number 6 Harry Darling who quickly initiated MK’s next assault.

But Jason McCarthy and Josh Scowen stood firm. Jacobson challenged an almost accepted wisdom that he’s better going forward to a rethink, with football intelligence as much his ally as physical prowess. Dominic Gape covered every inch of grass.

It would take an eternity to recount chance after chance. Statistics and the words of Dons coach Liam Manning do tell the story well however.

He told BBC 3 Counties:

“It’s a tough one to take. When you look across the two legs, I thought we created more and better chances than them.

“We were outstanding tonight and it just comes down to whether you’ve got enough quality in and around the box, which we didn’t have.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the players, the bravery they showed, and for me they deserved more. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve and you have to suck it up and come out tougher, harder and better at the other side.

“It hurts tonight, but let’s channel that frustration, that disappointment and emotion and become even better and kick on in the future.”

His side had 69% possession, 29 shots to Wycombe’s two, and an incredible 18 corners where Wycombe had just the one. Stewart, Vokes, Gape, Ryan Tafazolli and Stockdale repelled corner after corner.

 

When the Dons tried a less aerial route, Jacobson’s concentration was flawless amid increasingly raucous claims for penalties and fouls from the home crowd, whose support for their side was magnificent.

The Wycombe captain gave the excellent referee Thomas Bramall no opportunity to even consider awarding a penalty and a very disciplined Wanderers eleven gave him no chance to award a make up red card following Josh McEachran’s dismissal in the first leg.

The Wycombe discipline and concentration was flawless. Second only to Stockdale’s heroics, that could be said to be the main factor that kept them ahead.

Troy Parrott scored the only goal with a looping header in the 27th minute and most observers concluded more would follow. His effort caught Stockdale’s vision between the flight of the ball and an onrushing forward certain to impede his jump. Stockdale appeared to conclude the ball would go wide but the header continued to dip and curl.

Everything else they threw at the Yorkshireman, he was equal to. They had protected him so well in the first leg and indeed in their most recent home game with Sheffield Wednesday. At Milton Keynes however, the bombardment was too persistent for that to happen once more. When the ball finally made it through the thick light and dark blue wall, Stockdale produced a quality performance.

Offensively, Dons had most of the stars.

Corbeanu looks like a could be a devastating performer at a higher level. Screeds have been written about Twine’s future and it may be hard to stop him moving on. The same might even be said about manager Manning who had guided this side to third ahead of some older, bigger and more storied clubs.

For the Chairboys, they can kick back and watch the second leg tonight. Sunderland take a 1-0 lead to Sheffield Wednesday.

Their focus is not on next season but Wembley and a chance to surprise England’s third tier for the second time in two years. They will not suffer from want-away players.

Stockdale doesn’t play for the money but the joy of camaraderie and love of the game. Even as the icon Adebayo Akinfenwa retires, the dressing room will not be short of model pros for younger players to make their role models.

Less heralded may be defender Jack Grimmer who only played the closing moments. The Aberdonian comes from the land of football passion and the most diehard fans. Yet, as he looked up at the 2000 Chairboys fans after the game, he told us:

“They were unbelievable. We gave them so little to sing about tonight yet they still sung and sung.  Tonight was the loudest I’ve ever heard them. Fantastic.”

It was hard to detect whether there was a tear in his eye as he looked up at the top tier or it was just sweat reflecting in the floodlights. To retain his Scottish defensive hardman reputation, history will just have to agree that there was sweat on the brow of the man from the Granite City.

Fans now await ticket news. Both Sunderland or Wednesday will certainly sell out their allocation and Wycombe will have to take steps to ensure their tickets go to their own supporters.

As the players relax, the hard work is just beginning for the backroom staff at Adams Park. But it will surely be less exhausting, if not quite as rewarding as chasing Twine and Corbeanu about for 90 minutes.

They will need Jacobson levels of concentration. And come May 21, he and his colleagues will need the fans to bring it to Wembley as they brought it to North Buckinghamshire.

Akinfenwa: If we do it, I may message Klopp!

Line ups:

MK Dons: Cumming, Lewington, O’Hora, Darling, Twine, Corbeanu, Coventry, Boateng (Wickham 75), Parrott, Harvie (Watson 86), Kesler Hayden (Kemp 85)

Subs: Ravizzoli, Smith, Kasumu, Baldwin.

Goal: Parrott (26)

Wycombe Wanderers: Stockdale, Jacobson, Gape, Stewart, Tafazolli, Vokes, McCleary, Horgan (Wheeler 69), Obita, McCarthy, Scowen.

Subs: Dickinson, Grimmer, Wing, Kaikai, Akinfenwa, Forino.

Booked: Scowen, McCarthy, Jacobson

Referee: T Bramall

Attendance: 13,012 (2,227 away)

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