PURE HOLLYWOOD
 Mar 11th, 2001
Advantages:
great spirit, the 'david versus goliath', have real character
Disadvantages:
the end is nigh ????
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Physical Effort
Skill
Are they fun to watch?
Quality of defence
Quality of management
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  flashpointz
About me:
-- Well, just popped in for a coffee and hey guess what - I wrote a review! Its been a while, but I...
Member since:06.07.2000
Reviews:379
Members who trust:272
Review rated by 43 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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It’s a funny thing, Fame. One minute you are unknown, unloved, unwanted, and the next everyone wants you. That ‘fame’ is about to hit lowly Division Two club Wycombe Wanderers with a vengeance over the coming few weeks. Their fantastic 2-1 win over Premiership ‘giants’ Leicester City yesterday – in the most astonishing of circumstances – caps a marvellous few weeks for the club that only joined the Football League 8 years ago! They now must face the might of Liverpool in the semi final. Imagine, Wycombe Wanderers two wins away from a place in Europe.
Anyway, it was real ‘Roy of the Rovers’ stuff in the FA Cup yesterday - but this time it was ‘Roy of the Wanderers!’ Roy Essandoh – who only joined the club a week or so ago after seeing a teletext message that Wanderers were hit by injuries and were on the hunt for strikers. He contacted his agent to see if he could get a trial, turned out for Wycombe’s Reserve side in midweek against QPR and was rewarded with a place on the bench for yesterday big FA Cup quarter final clash at Filbert Street. He had hardly had time to get to know his new teammates names, but was looking forward to maybe getting a chance to pit his skills against Premiership opposition. With 15 minutes left and the score at 1-1, Roy was sent on. Then, the little known Belfast born Ghanaian, who has been playing in Finland, got the chance to be a hero. In the second minute of injury time he headed home the winner, the place erupted and the name of Roy Essandoh became the talk of the nation.
Each season the Cup throws up something new. Recent seasons have seen great cup runs from Gillingham and Tranmere (and again, of course another memorable one this season – until today). Lower division sides who upset Premiership clubs or even non leaguers who defeat sides from the lower Divisions of the Nationwide League. This season we’ve already had the exploits of both Kingstonian and Dagenham & Redbridge from the Vauxhall Conference, BUT the FA Cup has really come alight in the past fortnight with the fairytale story of Wycombe Wanderers. Wycombe have only been members of the Football League for 8 years. Managed then by Martin O’Neill, now Manager of Celtic, they won the Conference and FA Trophy ‘double’ to gain admission to the League. Originally a consistently high ranking club outside the Football League – famed for their sloping pitch at Loakes Park – Wanderers began their assault on attaining Football League status by the appointment of Mr O’Neill as Manager. Added to this was the move to their current home at Adams Park – a purpose built stadium and the finest, at the time, outside of the Football League. After winning promotion to the League, O’Neill guided Wycombe to their current status in Division two within two seasons.
He was briefly followed by John Gregory (now boss at Aston Villa), who managed to maintain their position after helping them stave off relegation. But it has not been until this season – and until the past fortnight – that Wycombe have gained any kind of public recognition. Wycombe had begun their FA Cup campaign with the possibility of finding their own ‘banana skin, with a home tie against Ryman Leaguers Harrow Borough. But Wycombe made no mistake, winning 3-0. They then put out current Division Two runaway leaders Millwall after a replay, before defeating Grimsby in Round Three – again after a reply. Wolves were the next to fall in Round 4 and so, onto Wimbledon in the next round.
This was where Wycombe began to reach national prominence. Their Manager Lawrie Sanchez had scored the winning goal for Wimbledon in their own ‘fairytale’ story – the 1988 FA Cup final win over the mighty Liverpool. First it was a magnificent nail biting fight back in their 5th Round tie against Wimbledon. That 2-2 draw earnt them a replay back at Selhurst Park and had all the pundits predicting that their short lived ‘glory’ would be extinguished by the ‘Dons’. It was not to be. Another even more tense, even more heroic and even more dramatic match was to unfold. Wycombe pulled the game out of the fire with an equaliser by Paul McCarthy in the last minute of extra time – then had the audacity to win the penalty shoot out! That all pails into insignificance though now as Wycombe’s tremendous performance yesterday to oust Leicester has put them into the limelight. They are this years ‘Giant Killers’ and will no doubt ‘milk’ the publicity and deservedly so. Some of the players will become ‘celebrities’ overnight – Manager Lawrie Sanchez will certainly become a ‘media must have’. Strangely enough though, winning goal scorer Essandoh may yet have to make do with his fleeting 15 minutes of fame. He is on just a 2 week contract and could well not even be with the club when they tackle Liverpool in the semis.
You could write a story of the things that have happened to Wycombe over the past fortnight and it would be thought of as pure ‘hokum’. Unbelievable. Nobody in their right mind would believe the win over Wimbledon after equalising in extra time injury time. The penalty shoot out drama. The injury crisis that led to signing an ‘unknown’, putting him on the bench for the ‘big one’. And he comes on and scores the winner in injury time. Pure Hollywood !! What chances do they have against Liverpool in the semi finals ? Of course they have NONE – But then they had no chance against Leicester City either………….!!
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30.11.2004 16:54
Just feel like commenting years after the event. Wycombe are great yet infuriating - why they can't just be good or just be crap instead of having random results. We can beat Leicester City one day and lose to Basingstoke Town the next. Tody Adams leaves and we start winning immediately. Bristol Rovers in the cup tonight. We beat them on Saturday so no doubt we'll lose 18-0. That is Wycombe - there is nothing else to say!!
24.08.2001 21:57
I go see Wycombe a bit and I saw the match on a boom back TV screen at Adams Park when they were against Leicster. I don't know if you know or not but Ed_McBain has copied your exact op. Cheers, James.
24.03.2001 02:23
My claim to fame is that Roy Essandoh's mother was my nursing "mentor" at the time he scored the goal - I have her autograph all over my nursing assessment sheets if anyone wants one :P! How very sad I am... All the best, Angela.