MX23RW : Monday, December 23 06:05:49| >> :600:250613:250613:
[monks data]
Wycombe Wanderers
Championship | Gameweek 1
Sep 12, 2020 at 12.30pm UK
Adams Park
Rotherham logo

Wycombe
0 - 1
Rotherham


Bloomfield (22')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Ihiekwe (90+2')
Harding (72')

Michael Ihiekwe earns Rotherham late win at Wycombe on opening day

Michael Ihiekwe earns Rotherham late win at Wycombe on opening day
© Reuters
The Chairboys are denied a point in first match in the second tier.

A stoppage-time header from Michael Ihiekwe helped Rotherham get their Championship campaign off to a perfect start with a 1-0 win at fellow promoted side Wycombe.

The home team had shaded the best chances of the match, with Daryl Horgan shooting over from close range and Darius Charles hitting the crossbar, but Ihiekwe's late header saw Rotherham mark their return to the Championship after a one-year absence with three points.

Wycombe's starting line-up for their first match in the second tier featured eight players from their League One play-off final victory two months ago, but it was new signing Horgan who should have opened the scoring as early as the second minute.

A long ball over the top found Scott Kashket, who squared to Horgan inside the six-yard box. The former Hibernian man was unmarked but was always stretching and could only put the ball over the bar.

Joe Jacobson was Wycombe's top scorer in League One last season and almost turned provider on the half-hour mark.

Kashket had looked dangerous early on and after he was fouled on the left, Jacobson swung a free-kick into the box which fell to Charles, who turned and stuck out a foot only to see his effort cannon back off the underside of the bar.

The ball was cleared as far as Alex Pattison and his low drive was kept out by former Wycombe loanee Jamal Blackman in the Rotherham goal.

Rotherham had chances of their own, with a Kieran Sadlier free-kick touched round the post by Chairboys keeper Ryan Allsop and Ihiekwe heading inches wide from a Joe Mattock free-kick.

The end-to-end style of play continued in the second half but neither side was able to establish any clear periods of dominance, with veteran midfielder Matt Bloomfield volleying wide for Wycombe on the hour.

With 20 minutes to go, Kashket again found himself with a chance after latching on to a neat flick from David Wheeler. He lobbed Blackman, only to see the ball cleared off the line by Wes Harding.

Both sides made late attacking changes, with Kyle Vassell on for Rotherham and Nick Freeman for Wycombe as they sought a dramatic winner.

Rotherham looked the most likely to snatch victory, with two long shots from Vassell signalling their intent.

In the end it was Ihiekwe, making up for his earlier missed chance, who rose highest to meet a Mattock corner to break both the deadlock and Wycombe hearts.

ID:414050: cacheID:414050:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4813:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall pictured in September 2020
Read Next:
Saturday's Championship predictions including Bournemouth vs. Blackburn Rovers
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Wycombe WanderersWycombe20135243222144
2Birmingham CityBirmingham18133234161842
3Wrexham21126331141742
4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield20123534181639
5Stockport CountyStockport21106534221236
6Lincoln CityLincoln218762825331
7Reading209473030031
8Bolton WanderersBolton199462829-131
9Barnsley218672930-130
10Mansfield TownMansfield198472322128
11Charlton AthleticCharlton207672319427
12Blackpool207672931-227
13Exeter CityExeter208391922-327
14Stevenage197571517-226
15Leyton Orient207492320325
16Peterborough UnitedPeterborough2073103837124
17Wigan AthleticWigan206681918124
18Rotherham UnitedRotherham196581921-223
19Bristol Rovers2064101829-1122
20Northampton TownNorthampton2156102134-1321
21Crawley TownCrawley1954102032-1219
22Cambridge UnitedCambridge2045112035-1517
23Burton Albion2026121732-1512
24Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury2033142141-2012


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!