Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Founded in 1887 as an amateur club, the team entered the FA Amateur Cup for the first time in 1894–95, made their FA Cup debut the following season, and joined the Southern League in 1896. They played in the Second Division of the Southern League until 1908, when after twice finishing bottom of that league, the club declined the invitation to continue membership and opted for the amateur Great Western Suburban League instead. When competitive football resumed after the First World War they spent two seasons in the Spartan League – winning the title on each occasion – before being accepted into the Isthmian League, in which they spent the remainder of the inter-war period. They finished third in 1930–31, but the highlight of the season was victory in the Amateur Cup. In the final, held at Arsenal's Highbury Stadium, Wycombe beat Hayes 1–0 to win the trophy for the first and only time. The goal was scored by Alf Britnell after 81 minutes.[1] Between 1953–54 and 1959–60, Wycombe never finished outside the top four in the Isthmian League. They won the championship for the first time in 1955–56, retained the title in 1956–57, and reached the Amateur Cup Final that same year. This time, they lost 3–1 in front of a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium as Bishop Auckland won their third consecutive Amateur Cup.[2]
At the start of the 1970s, Wycombe won the Isthmian League four times in five seasons. The fourth of those titles, in 1974–75, was in the first season after the distinction between amateur and professional was abolished, so Wycombe made their first appearance in the FA Trophy, which until then had been open to non-League clubs that registered professional players.[3] They also reached the third round of the FA Cup for the first time; they held First Division leaders Middlesbrough to a goalless draw at Loakes Park, and only lost the replay to a last-minute goal.[4] Courtesy of the Isthmian League win, they were invited to enter the Anglo-Italian Semi-Professional Trophy, a match played on a home-and-away basis against Monza, winners of the Coppa Italia Semiprofessionisti. Wycombe lost the away leg 1–0 but won 2–0 at home to take the trophy.[5][6]
Wycombe's continued success in the Isthmian League brought potential promotion to the Alliance Premier League, the level immediately below the Football League. The club twice refused the opportunity[7] before accepting for the 1985–86 season. They finished 20th, and were relegated on goal difference, but thanks to their eighth Isthmian League title, made an immediate return to the higher level, which had been renamed the Football Conference. Under the management of Martin O'Neill, Wycombe won the FA Trophy for the first time in 1991, beating Kidderminster Harriers at Wembley in front of a then record attendance for the competition of 34,842.[3] They followed up with runners-up spot in the 1991–92 season and went one better in 1992–93, adding a second FA Trophy to the Conference title and consequent promotion to the Football League.
They marked their debut season in the Football League with promotion to the Second Division via the play-offs; after a fourth-place finish, they beat Carlisle United in the semi-final and came from 2–1 down to beat Preston North End 4–2 in the final.[8] After eight seasons in the third tier, they were relegated, and thereafter moved regularly between the two lower tiers. In 2013–14, they avoided a return to the Conference only on goal difference, but bounced back to reach the play-off final the following year, only to lose to Southend United in a penalty shoot-out.[9] In 2017–18, they were promoted back to League One and two years later they reached the second tier of English football for the first time in their history after beating Oxford United 2–1 in the play-off final.[10] Although they lost their first seven matches of the 2020–21 EFL Championship, and were 12 points adrift in mid-February, they recovered to finish 22nd and their relegation was only confirmed on the final day of the season.[11][12] They reached the play-off final the following year but were beaten 2–0 by Sunderland.[13]
Since their admission to the Football League, Wycombe have spent 13 seasons in the fourth tier of the English football league system, 17 in the third tier, and 1 in the second. The table details the team's achievements and the top goalscorer in senior first-team competitions from their debut season in the FA Amateur Cup in 1894–95 to the end of the most recently completed season.
^Beginning with the 1925–26 season, the FA Cup was structured so that the third round proper contained 64 teams. Prior to that date, the structure had varied, so rounds are not directly comparable to the round of the same name after 1925. For example, in 1895–96, when Wycombe first entered the competition, there were only three rounds proper before the semifinal, as compared with the current six.[21]
^In seasons when the club played in more than one league, the column is sorted on the Southern League position.
^ abBecause of controversy surrounding the 1900 final, Wycombe refused to enter the 1900–01 competition. They won in 1901–02, beating Slough 3–0 in the final.[28][27]
^Wycombe were drawn to play Richmond Association at home in the third qualifying round, but as part of a punishment for poor behaviour both on and off the field at the opening match of the Southern League season, their ground was closed for two weeks and the team could not play within a ten-mile radius. They scratched from the competition rather than play at Richmond.[27]
^Club opted to refuse invitation to rejoin Southern League, and instead joined Great Western Suburban League.[27]
^Wycombe had been elected to the Spartan League ahead of the 1914–15 season, but withdrew from that league when war broke out. They initially retained membership of the Great Western Suburban League, but in mid-September, confirmed their withdrawal from all competitive football.[29][30]
^Beat Hayes 1–0 at Arsenal's Highbury Stadium to win the Amateur Cup for the first and only time. The goal was scored by Alf Britnell after 81 minutes.[1]
^When the Second World War began, the Isthmian League season was abandoned with one match played.[20]
^In 1939–40, Wycombe beat Hounslow 3–0 in the extra preliminary round, but the competition was abandoned before any further rounds were played.[31][32]
^The 1973–74 season saw the introduction of three points for a win instead of two in the Isthmian League.[34]
^The Football Association abolished the distinction between amateur and professional players in 1974, thus effectively abolishing the Amateur Cup. The stronger amateur clubs, which included Wycombe, entered the FA Trophy, which had existed since 1969 as a competition for non-league clubs who registered professional players, and the others entered a new competition, the FA Vase.[3][35]
^Wycombe had reached the final when they were disqualified from the competition for fielding an ineligible player.[5]
^Having progressed through six rounds of the competition, needing a replay in three of the six and a penalty shoot-out against Wimbledon in the third of those three, Wycombe reached the semi-final of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history; they had not previously passed the third round. They faced Liverpool, who had already won the 2000–01 League Cup and were still in the UEFA Cup. The match remained goalless for 78 minutes, when Emile Heskey put Liverpool ahead. Robbie Fowler doubled the lead soon afterwards, and Wycombe's Keith Ryan scored what proved to be a late consolation goal.[17][14]
^The 2019–20 football season was disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EFL was suspended in March 2020 and in June, the League One clubs voted to end the regular season programme early. Teams had not all played the same number of matches, so it was agreed to construct final league tables on a points-per-game basis. Wycombe Wanderers' 76.35 points per game placed them 3rd, above three teams with more points and a better goal difference but who had played a game more.[43][44] They were promoted to the Championship via the play-offs, beating Fleetwood Town 6–3 on aggregate in the semi-final[45] and beating Oxford United 2–1 in the final at Wembley.[10]
^Hurman, Dale (12 February 2013). "Back-to-back Isthmian titles". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Retrieved 30 May 2022. "Bishop Auckland". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
^"Season by season". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^For Inter League Cup: "Inter League Cup". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
^For seasons from 1997–98 onwards: "Wycombe: player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 May 2024. Access season required via dropdown menu.
