Preview: Shrewsbury Town v Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers travel to Shrewsbury Town on Saturday for a League Two fixture.


The Shrews are currently sitting 3rd in League Two with 34 points, 7 points behind Wycombe.

Many people's favourites for the title at the start of the season, Shrewsbury's home form is the best in the division and they have taken 25 points out of a possible 30 at the New Meadow. Their stumbling block has been picking up points on their travels and they have only managed 1 win and 6 draws from the 10 away games they have played so far.

One away game that did go their way was in the JP Trophy at Adams Park earlier this season when they pulverized Wycombe, eventually running out 7-0 winners. Wycombe's defence that night included McCracken, Woodman and Johnson, all of whom will probably be in the Chairboys' squad on Saturday. The rest of the team however, should bear little resemblance to the one which capitulated so easily in October.

Shrewsbury have scored 36 league goals (27 at home) and have conceded 17 (6 at home).

15 different players have scored for the Shrews in all competitions and their top scorer is Grant Holt with 18 goals, five of which came at Adams Park in October. Ben Davies is their next highest scorer with 9 goals to his name.

In recent games Shrewsbury enjoyed home wins over Dagenham and Rotherham, before losing at Grimsby last Saturday and then exiting the JPT on penalties at home to Brighton on Tuesday Evening.



Wycombe Wanderers remain at the top of League Two with 41 points despite their recent patchy form. In their last 4 games in all competitions the Chairboys have only picked up 1 win and have been beaten on 2 occasions. Their last 2 league games were a 3-2 defeat at Aldershot and a 0-0 draw at home to Luton Town.

They have scored 28 league goals (11 away from home) and have conceded 11 (5 away from home).

12 different players have scored for Wycombe in all competitions this season. The top scorer is Matt Harrold with 7, while Chris Zebroski is just a single goal behind with 6 to his name.


Current League Form

Last Five League Games
Shrewsbury: DDWWL - 8 points
Wycombe: WWWLD - 10 points


Last Five Home Games
Shrewsbury: WDWWW - 13 points


Last Five Away Games
Wycombe: DWDWL - 8 points


Last season the two teams drew 1-1 at Adams Park in September with Scott McGleish equalising for Wycombe. In the return match, a John Sutton goal gave the Blues a 1-0 win at the New Meadow four days after Christmas.

Previous meetings at Shrewsbury

1993/94 Lg2 Shrewsbury 1 Wycombe 0
1994/95 Lg1 Shrewsbury 2 Wycombe 2
1995/96 Lg1 Shrewsbury 1 Wycombe 1
1996/97 Lg1 Shrewsbury 1 Wycombe 1
1998/99 FLT Shrewsbury 0 Wycombe 1
2004/05 Lg2 Shrewsbury 0 Wycombe 1
2005/06 Lg2 Shrewsbury 1 Wycombe 1
2006/07 Lg2 Shrewsbury 0 Wycombe 0
2007/08 Lg2 Shrewsbury 0 Wycombe 1



Ref Watch

This week's referee is Mr. S.D. Cook.

Mr. Cook was in charge last season when Wycombe defeated Grimsby 3-0 and Chester 1-0. Both games were at Adams Park and only one yellow card was shown on each occasion. So far this season he has only overseen 5 games and has issued 16 yellow cards and sent 2 players off.



Team News

Chris Zebroski is doubtful with a gashed ankle.

The Club have recently announced that Gavin Grant will not be available for the foreseeable future.

Angelo Balanta is expected to be available for selection.



A win on Saturday would give Wycombe a healthy 10 point lead over Shrewsbury Town and would also more than make up for the embarrassing JPT performance against the same side earlier this season. With Angelo Balanta back in the team there's always the chance of a moment of magic leading to a goal, but without Zebroski and Grant in the side, the Blues lack the counter-attacking pace which served them so well on their travels earlier in the season. All things considered, the best result Wycombe are likely to achieve on Saturday is a hard fought draw.


Prediction

Shrewsbury 2 Wycombe 0

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