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The Reckless Guide to…Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers v Barnet
Sky Bet League 2
Saturday 22nd October 2016
Kick-Off 3:00 pm
Stadium: Adams Park, Hillbottom Road, High Wycombe, HP12 4HJ
Telephone: 01494 472 100
Club Colours: Navy and Light Blue
Nickname: The Chairboys
Key Personnel
Blackburn-born Gareth Ainsworth had a colourful career with some ten different clubs including Queens Park Rangers, Preston North End, Lincoln City and, of course, Wycombe, where he was club Captain. He took the manager’s job on in November 2015.
Brief Directions by Road
Take the M40 to Junction 4 and take the A4010 (John Hall Way) signposted Aylesbury. 
Stay on this road going over three mini roundabouts, now the road becomes known as New Road. 
Proceed down the hill until you come to a pair of mini roundabouts. Turn sharp left at the first of these and into Lane End Road. 
Turn right at the next mini roundabout into Hillbottom Lane and continue through the Sands Industrial Estate to the ground.
Car Parking
There is car parking available at the ground for a charge, plus a number of the industrial estate companies, which flank the only approach road to the stadium, offer parking too.
However, be aware that on our last visit it took my little band of brothers 30 minutes to get back to the motorway such was the backlog of traffic. 
If you are able to park about a mile away from the ground and also able to walk this is by far the best option for speed.
Directions by Train
High Wycombe is approximately three miles from the ground so a taxi is your best option. 
A direct train from London Marylebone will take approximately 40-50 minutes and they run every 30 minutes or so.
Eating and Drinking Locally
A difficult one this as the ground is on the outskirts of town and adjacent to an industrial park. 
The nearest pubs to the ground that welcome away fans are the Hour Glass in Chapel Lane Sands (about a mile away) and the Hungry Horse – where food is available – in Cressex. 
The town centre is your best bet for variation but leave plenty of time to make kick off. 
At the stadium itself there is the Scores Bar and Vere Suite which welcome away fans. The normal football fare are on sale at two tea bars found at either end of the away enclosure.
Ground Description
The main stand, which runs the full length of one side and seats 1,300, is a single tier front loading stand and one of many with a similar design that shot up in the early 1990s. 
To its right is the only terracing area, Green King IPA Stand, which can accommodate 1,750. 
To the left is the away area, The Hillbottom Stand, originally a mirror image of the terrace at the other end but now extended and fully seated. It has room for about 2,000. 
Finally, opposite is the two-tiered 1996-built Frank Adams Stand which replaced a covered terrace – scene of one of the greatest celebrations in Bees fans history. It offers a splendid view from its top seats. 
All this adds up to a healthy 10,000 capacity.
Admission Prices
Adults £22, Concessions £19, Juniors £13.
Rivals
Oxford United are “up the A40” and only 25 miles away. In the old days of Conference and Gola League the local derbies were against Aylesbury United and Slough Town. 
Previous Meetings and Memories
Our last visit was in April when an Andy Yiadom goal secured a 1-1 draw in front of 3,715. 
There have been four matches against Wycombe Wanderers that will go down in Barnet folklore. 
The first was in 1952 when the highest ever attendance at Underhill, 11,026, witnessed an FA Amateur Cup tie. 
The second was the evening of September 15, 1987 at Loakes Park when a Bees attack including David Sansom, Noel Ashford, Keith Alexander, Robert Codner and Nicky Evans tore the Chairboys apart and thrashed in seven goals – Evans scored four. 
The third game was the night monsoons hit Buckinghamshire on Monday, April 29, 1991. More than 1,000 Bees fans made the journey to Adams Park for the penultimate game of the season as Barnet went on to win promotion to the Football League for the first time.
Gary Bull scored two goals in the opening five minutes and Kenny Lowe scored a third before Wycombe pulled one back near the end. 
This game was perhaps the club’s finest performance of that season and Sports Cast TV cameras caught the soaked-to-the-skin players celebrating with the ecstatic soaked-to-the-skin supporters – what a night. 
The fourth, of course was, the last game played at Underhill Saturday, April 20, 2013, featuring a Jake Hyde goal and that Graham Stack penalty save.
A good selection of players have represented both clubs since the late 1980s, including: Nicky Evans, Noel Ashford, Glyn Creaser, Hakan Hayrettin, Scott McGleish, Darren Currie, Sean Devine, Lee Hodges, John Akinde, Ben Strevens Lee Harrison and Kevin Durham – to name a few!
Celebrity Watch
Most celebrities who live in this part of the world head for Marlow or Beaconsfield. But I am reliably informed that a visit to Tesco in High Wycombe on a Saturday morning would fill an autograph book – Sir Steve Redgrave, Naomi Campbell, Pauline Quirk, Ulrika Jonnsson, Kate Moss and the rock band Metallic.
British music is well represented but only if you are fans of Dusty Springfield, Frankie Vaughan or Howard Jones. 
The origins of the club’s Chairboys nickname come from the 19th century when High Wycombe was the furniture capital of Europe and the chair-making capital of the world.