Wycombe Wanderers 1 - 0 Mansfield Town: FLW reports as Luke Leahy scores stoppage time winner

Football League World

·27 November 2024

Wycombe Wanderers 1 - 0 Mansfield Town: FLW reports as Luke Leahy scores stoppage time winner

League Leaders Wycombe Wanderers took on Mansfield Town on Tuesday night.

Wycombe Wanderers beat Mansfield Town 1-0 thanks to a stoppage time goal from Luke Leahy.

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Cameron Humphreys had the first chance of the game. Dan Harvie's through ball from just inside the Mansfield half was inch perfect, setting the Ipswich Town loanee away down the left flank. He got to the byline and tried to dink in a cross towards Garath McCleary that curved just over the bar.

Aden Flint then denied Richard Kone a great chance to open the scoring. The experienced defender perfectly executed his sliding challenge to put the ball behind for a corner. The Stags had certainly done their homework on the league leaders.

Mansfield thought they had the lead for a split second when Will Evans got clean through on goal. He sidefooted past Franco Ravizzoli but the linesman had his flag up, much to the relief of the home support.

The Chairboys felt they should've had a penalty after Kone beat Flint for pace. This time, the defender's sliding tackle caught the Ivorian, which brought him tumbling to the deck. Craig Hicks waved appeals away as both players eventually carried on with the match.

A lovely move from Wycombe almost gave them the lead. McCleary twisted his way into space on the right. The Jamaican then played a lovely one-two with Kone, unleashing the winger in the box. His square ball found Fred Onyedinma, but his shot wasn't powerful enough to beat Christy Pym from close range.

Hicks then made the wrong call, penalising Wycombe for Stags defender Deji Oshilaja hauling down Onyedinma and handling the ball in the process. The resultant free-kick was lofted forward as far as Hiram Boateng, whose shot was deflected over the bar.

McCleary then had the ball in the net, as he stroked past Pym off the post, only for that to be ruled out for offside. The 37-year-old just snuck behind the last defender to get on the end of a great Leahy pass.

The visitors had the best chance of the half with five minutes to play. Evans used his pace to burst down the right, cutting the ball back across goal. The shot was weak and Jasper Pattenden was on hand to clear the danger.

The scores remained level at half-time. It had been a pretty open game, with the league leaders having more chances but yet to break down the Mansfield defence. The Chairboys hadn't really hit the performance levels they'd become accustomed to, but there was plenty still to play for.

Nigel Clough opted to make a defensive change at half-time, subbing in Jordan Bowery for Baily Cargill.

Wycombe just looked a yard short of where they have been so far this season in the first half, which continued in the second period. It was a pretty disjointed performance so far, with some moments of quality being let down by poor decision-making. Both sides had half chances but neither looked like scoring.

Matt Bloomfield opted to bring on Daniel Udoh for Onyedinma, as the former Luton Town man was struggling to have the desired impact in the second 45. The usually excellent possession football played by Wycombe wasn't shown tonight. Instead, the Wanderers looked to have employed a more direct approach that wasn't working as intended.

Both benches had a scare when a nasty clash of heads between both number tens, Leahy and George Maris, required the game to be stopped. Fortunately, both were ok, but the latter couldn't continue.

The hosts were really playing with fire, as they gave away possession on the halfway line, which allowed a quick Mansfield break. Lucas Akins got the better of Joe Low, but the Welshman hacked the striker out, resulting in a dangerous free-kick. Thankfully, Aaron Lewis' effort was more than comfortable for Ravizzoli.

Clough's side came and did exactly what they needed to do, which was stop the hosts playing football. They'd done just that, which was frustrating for Bloomfield's men, as they just couldn't break down the resilient Stags. Frustration was also setting in for the Blues, as there were moments where they lashed out, conceding free-kicks.

Four minutes were added on for stoppages, which gave either side a chance to find a winner. When Wycombe fans thought Hicks' performance couldn't get any worse, the referee pulled it back to give a free-kick to Wycombe when Brandon Hanlan was clean through on goal.

The Blues got their karma though, as Leahy chipped Pym in stoppage time to give the Chairboys all three points, jubilation at Adams Park. Bloomfield's side have now won their last ten in all competitions, remaining top for the League One table. Mansfield slip to 10th, after three straight defeats.