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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 CityBirmingham23165241172453
2Wycombe WanderersWycombe25156450272351
3Wrexham25156437181951
4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield24145537191847
5Barnsley2512673933642
6Reading2412573933641
7Stockport CountyStockport25108737271038
8Leyton Orient24114932221037
9Mansfield TownMansfield2311483126537
10Bolton WanderersBolton2411493637-137
11Charlton AthleticCharlton239772721634
12Lincoln CityLincoln258892830-232
13Rotherham UnitedRotherham248792424031
14Stevenage238781820-231
15Exeter CityExeter2494112831-331
16Blackpool247983235-330
17Wigan AthleticWigan2376102123-227
18Northampton TownNorthampton2568112439-1526
19Peterborough UnitedPeterborough2474134146-525
20Bristol Rovers2474132238-1625
21Crawley TownCrawley2355132443-1920
22Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury2445152444-2017
23Cambridge UnitedCambridge2445152243-2117
24Burton Albion2428142038-1814


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