Wycombe return to League One looking stronger

The last three seasons have certainly been eventful for Wycombe Wanderers. Two promotions were secured on the final day of the campaign, and sandwiched in between was a relegation that looked inevitable almost from the start.

Whether you enjoyed his style of football or not, in May 2009, Peter Taylor succeeded where others had failed and took the Blues back to League One after a five-year absence.

Unbeaten in their first 18 league games, Wycombe were runaway leaders with 46 points at the half-way mark and Taylor's stock was high. His popularity waned during the second-half of the season when the Blues began to falter, but a final total of 78 points was enough to clinch automatic promotion on goal-difference despite losing at home to Notts County on the last day of the season.

It was during the summer that events began to conspire against Taylor. Ownership issues behind the scenes made it difficult for him to strengthen his squad, and to make matters worse, the fixtures computer handed him games against Charlton, Leeds and Norwich on the first three Saturdays of the new campaign.

Wycombe made a terrible start from which they never recovered, and at the beginning of October, with only 6 points from 11 games, the club parted company with the man who had steered them to promotion only five months before.

New manager Gary Waddock did his best to turn the tide, but apart from a belated flurry of wins at the tail end of the season, the Blues never looked like surviving and were duly relegated.

Waddock continued his rebuilding last season, and with a club-record 80 points, Wycombe were once again promoted in third place - this time by virtue of a thrilling victory at home to Southend on the final day of the season.

More rebuilding has taken place this summer, and only Leon Johnson, Matt Bloomfield and Stuart Beavon remain from the squad that Taylor put together for Wycombe's last tilt at League One.

The list below gives you the chance to compare Taylor's squad at the start of that season with the players Gary Waddock has at his disposal this time round....


Goalkeepers

2009/10 - Scott Shearer, Jamie Young

2011/12 - Nikki Bull, Steve Arnold, Matt Ingram


Right Backs

2009/10 - Lewis Hunt, TJ Moncur, Adam Smith

2011/12 - Marvin McCoy, Danny Foster


Left Backs

2009/10 - Craig Woodman, Joe Cobb

2011/12 - Andy Sandell, Charles Dunne


Centre-Backs

2009/10 - Leon Johnson, Michael Duberry, Chris Westwood, Luke Oliver

2011/12 - Leon Johnson, Dave Winfield, James Tunnicliffe, Anthony Stewart


Central-Midfielders

2009/10 - Matt Bloomfield, Tommy Doherty, John Mousinho, Lewis Montrose, Stuart Green, Lewwis Spence, Danny Spiller

2011/12 - Matt Bloomfield, Stuart Lewis, Scott Donnelly, Ben Harding, John Halls, Jesse Kewley-Graham, Josh Scowen


Wingers

2009/10 - Matt Phillips, Ian Westlake, Chris Zebroski

2011/12 - Gareth Ainsworth, Kevin Betsy, Joel Grant, Kadeem Harris.


Strikers

2009/10 - Stuart Beavon, Jon-Paul Pittman, Matt Harrold, George Daly, Dan Fitchett

2011/12 - Stuart Beavon, Elliot Benyon, Scott Rendell, Ben Strevens, Matt McClure, Jordan Ibe

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