9:15am Wednesday 25th November 2009
By Simon Webster
Wycombe Wanderers 1 Brentford 0
Brentford slumped to defeat and lost defender James Wilson to a red card on a miserable night at Adams Park on Tuesday.
The heady days of their tussle for the League Two title last season seemed a million miles away as both sides contributed to a thoroughly dour and depressing game of football, devoid of any form of spectacle for large spells.
Wycombe were already leading courtesy of a penalty when Wilson took out Gareth Ainsworth for a merited straight red.
On-loan keeper Wojciech Szczesny was the only player to emerge with much credit, especially for his save from the resulting spot kick.
A disappointed Bees boss Andy Scott said: “We gave away the ball too much, we were trying to do things one touch and weren’t getting hold of it and weren’t able to put them under any pressure at all.”
Scott also revealed that full-back Ryan Dickson missed the game due to illness, the same reason Charlie MacDonald was forced to come off within the opening half-hour.
Danny Foster took Dickson’s place, with Sam Wood starting ahead of him, in for the injured Myles Weston.
Early on, on-loan Tottenham teenager John Bostock fired an ambitious 30-yard free-kick wide left.
A minute later, Foster’s free-kick from the left fell to Bostock on the right, and he cut inside his man before seeing his shot deflected for a corner.
Midway through the half, Wanderers broke down the right after Foster took a knock and the resulting cross found former Bee Matt Harrold, whose header was comfortably held by Szczesny.
MacDonald’s withdrawal resulted in 19-year-old striker Rhys Murphy (signed on loan from Arsenal for three months earlier in the day) making his debut.
Wycombe then enjoyed a couple of chances as Kevin Betsy got the better of Wilson, only to see Szczesny dive to his left to push his low shot behind for a corner.
Shortly after, Betsy again picked up the ball 25 yards out and his shot brought a fine save out of Szczesny, who tipped the ball over the bar.
Wycombe took the lead three minutes into the second half after a free-kick from the left was nodded down by Michael Duberry and hit the unfortunate Karleigh Osborne on the hand. Harrold lashed the ball home from the spot.
A rare Bees foray forward saw Osborne attempt to redeem himself, when he headed an outswinging Bostock corner into Scott Sheaer’s hands.
Wilson’s dismissal midway through the half then followed, before Harrold saw his second spotkick brilliantly saved by Szczesny, who dived to his right and stopped the ball with his feet.
Deep into stoppage time, the Bees won a corner and then a free-kick but were unable to trouble Shearer.
Brentford: Szczesny; Wilson, Osborne, Balkstein, Foster; Bostock (sub Cort 69), Bean, O’Connor, Wood; MacDonald (sub Murphy 25 [sub Taylor 82]), Strevens
Subs (not used): Moore, Bennett, Saunders, Hunt
Attendance: 5,181
Goals: None
Man of the match: Wojciech Szczesny
Match rating: 2/6
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