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Wycombe Wanderers
Championship | Gameweek 1
Sep 12, 2020 at 12.30pm UK
Adams Park
Rotherham logo

Wycombe
0 - 1
Rotherham


Bloomfield (22')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Ihiekwe (90+2')
Harding (72')

Michael Ihiekwe earns Rotherham late win at Wycombe on opening day

Michael Ihiekwe earns Rotherham late win at Wycombe on opening day
© Reuters
The Chairboys are denied a point in first match in the second tier.

A stoppage-time header from Michael Ihiekwe helped Rotherham get their Championship campaign off to a perfect start with a 1-0 win at fellow promoted side Wycombe.

The home team had shaded the best chances of the match, with Daryl Horgan shooting over from close range and Darius Charles hitting the crossbar, but Ihiekwe's late header saw Rotherham mark their return to the Championship after a one-year absence with three points.

Wycombe's starting line-up for their first match in the second tier featured eight players from their League One play-off final victory two months ago, but it was new signing Horgan who should have opened the scoring as early as the second minute.

A long ball over the top found Scott Kashket, who squared to Horgan inside the six-yard box. The former Hibernian man was unmarked but was always stretching and could only put the ball over the bar.

Joe Jacobson was Wycombe's top scorer in League One last season and almost turned provider on the half-hour mark.

Kashket had looked dangerous early on and after he was fouled on the left, Jacobson swung a free-kick into the box which fell to Charles, who turned and stuck out a foot only to see his effort cannon back off the underside of the bar.

The ball was cleared as far as Alex Pattison and his low drive was kept out by former Wycombe loanee Jamal Blackman in the Rotherham goal.

Rotherham had chances of their own, with a Kieran Sadlier free-kick touched round the post by Chairboys keeper Ryan Allsop and Ihiekwe heading inches wide from a Joe Mattock free-kick.

The end-to-end style of play continued in the second half but neither side was able to establish any clear periods of dominance, with veteran midfielder Matt Bloomfield volleying wide for Wycombe on the hour.

With 20 minutes to go, Kashket again found himself with a chance after latching on to a neat flick from David Wheeler. He lobbed Blackman, only to see the ball cleared off the line by Wes Harding.

Both sides made late attacking changes, with Kyle Vassell on for Rotherham and Nick Freeman for Wycombe as they sought a dramatic winner.

Rotherham looked the most likely to snatch victory, with two long shots from Vassell signalling their intent.

In the end it was Ihiekwe, making up for his earlier missed chance, who rose highest to meet a Mattock corner to break both the deadlock and Wycombe hearts.

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Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall pictured in September 2020
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Birmingham CityBirmingham37268363253886
2Wrexham39238854302477
3Wycombe WanderersWycombe382111665362974
4Charlton AthleticCharlton392091053351869
5Stockport CountyStockport391911955361968
6Reading381711105547862
7Huddersfield TownHuddersfield381871352381461
8Bolton WanderersBolton38186146057360
9Leyton Orient381851554381659
10Blackpool391415105951857
11Barnsley39159155355-254
12Lincoln CityLincoln391311155346750
13Stevenage381310153539-449
14Mansfield TownMansfield38138174552-747
15Peterborough UnitedPeterborough38129175763-645
16Rotherham UnitedRotherham38129174249-745
17Exeter CityExeter38129174053-1345
18Wigan AthleticWigan371111153437-344
19Northampton TownNorthampton391013163857-1943
20Bristol Rovers39126214063-2342
21Burton Albion38812183955-1636
22Crawley TownCrawley3999214471-2736
23Cambridge UnitedCambridge39710223763-2631
24Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury3877243566-3128


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