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THE EARLY DAYS

Wycombe Wanderers Football Club was founded in 1887 by a group of young furniture trade workers. The Southern League Division Two was entered in 1896 and the first trophy won in 1902, the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, which they have now won a record 23 times. As an amateur club amongst professionals, they had little success in the Southern League and joined the Great Western Suburban League in 1908.
In the two seasons after the First World War the club were champions of the Spartan League before joining the Isthmian league in 1921. The captain of the side at this time was Frank Adams, who, as holder of the deeds, presented Loakes park to the club as a gift in 1947.

One of the highlights of the club's history came in 1930-31 when the FA Amateur Cup was won against Hayes at Highbury in front of 32,000. Success in the Isthmian League eluded the club until 1955-56 when the first of eight championships was won. The following season saw another Amateur Cup Final appearance, losing to the famous Bishop Auckland at Wembley in front of 90,000. The club staged a celebration of the 50th anniversary of this Final in 2007, with players from both sides in attendance.

70's , 80's & 90's

The arrival of Brian Lee as manager in 1969 ended a lean spell. During his seven-year reign, four Isthmian League championships were won and the runners-up spot achieved twice. For the first time League clubs were beaten in the FA Cup, Newport County in 1973-74 and Bournemouth the following season, which set up a confrontation with Jack Charlton's Middlesbrough. A capacity 12,000 crowd at Loakes Park and a television audience saw the then joint leaders of the First Division hang on for a 0-0 draw, before Boro' finally won with a last minute goal in the replay.

The 1984-85 season saw another landmark when the managerial team of Paul Bence and Alan Gane steered the club into Gola League. The club only survived one season in the non-league top flight but returned immediately in 1987, winning the Isthmian League in style under Alan Gane, with 101 points, 103 goals scored and 32 victories. The Conference proved a difficult baptism into management for former player Peter Suddaby, who took over from Alan Gane, and his resignation in January 1988 saw the arrival of Jim Kelman. He steered the team to safety and took them to fourth place the following season but in 1989-90, after a poor start and early exits from the cups, he left the club.

Martin O'Neill arrived in February 1990, heralding the most successful period in the club's history. He quickly pulled the team to mid-table safety and won his first trophy after just two months, the county cup. The end of the season was tinged with sadness when Loakes Park, home for 95 years with a famous 11-foot slope, was vacated for a new ground two and a half miles out of town.

The Adams Park Era

THE VAUXHALL CONFERENCE

On the pitch, success continued, with 5th place achieved in the Conference and a memorable FA Trophy Final win against Kidderminster in front of a record 34,000 crowd at Wembley. Season 1991/92 proved equally exciting, matching eventual champions Colchester until the final Saturday when the title was lost on goal difference - this in spite of 94 points and 30 victories, both Conference records. However, success came in the Bob Lord Trophy (League Cup), which was won for the first time.

The club started 1992/93 as favourites for the League title, and duly won by a record 15 points, a Conference record, becoming the first team from Buckinghamshire to be elected to the Football League. The FA Cup Second Round was reached, losing by the only goal at West Brom in a replay. The FA Trophy was won again, 4-1 against Runcorn, 28,000 Wycombe supporters making the trip to Wembley, and the club became the third non-league side to achieve the 'double'.

THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Wycombe began their Division Three campaign with their longest possible journey, to Carlisle, where Steve Guppy became the first Wanderer to score in the Football League. 1500 supporters made the 590 mile round trip to see the exciting 2-2 draw. In November, top scorer Keith Scott joined Swindon Town for £375,000, a record for Wycombe. A top five position was maintained in the League, which included a nine-match unbeaten run away from home, and in January the club reached 2nd position, their highest placing of the season.

Play-Off Final 1994 - Victory over PrestonAn automatic promotion spot was held until the last week of April, when a 2-1 defeat at Crewe saw the Cheshire club leap-frog ahead. A final position of 4th meant the play-offs and, after Carlisle were beaten over two legs, the final at Wembley against Preston attracted a record crowd of 40,000. Trailing 2-1 at half-time, Wycombe produced their best form since beating Coventry in the Second Round of the Coca-Cola Cup, to run out 4-2 winners after 90 minutes with Steve Thompson, Dave Carroll (2) and Simon Garner scoring the goals.

Martin O'Neill - successful as Manager for five years

Manager Martin O'Neill turned down approaches from Leicester City and Nottingham Forest while at Adams Park, which showed both his commitment to the club and the quality of facilities at the stadium. By the end of the 1994/95 season, Wycombe Wanderers completed a notable double over local rivals Oxford United and, in doing so, reached the highest ever position in the Football League by finishing 6th in Division II with a record 78 points. Unfortunately, this meant that they missed the play-offs by one position as this was the changeover season when the Premier League shed two clubs. Had it been any other season, the Blues would have qualified for the play-offs.

Martin O'Neill was approached by Norwich City Chairman Robert Chase and left the club after more than 5 years, having won more than 50% of matches in all competitions. This was felt by many to be the end of a fantastic crusade, it certainly turned out to be a watershed for the Chairboys. Alan Smith, the ex-Crystal Palace Manager, was appointed for two years at the start of the 1995/96 season, along with David Kemp as his Assistant Manager.

The Club experienced a dreadful start to the 1996/97 season, obtaining only 4 points out of a possible 27. Following a 6-3 thrashing by Peterborough at London Road (after being 3-1 up!), Chairman Ivor Beeks asked Alan Smith and David Kemp to resign. Neil Smillie, the Youth Team Manager, became Caretaker Manager for 5 matches, before the Board of Directors appointed John Gregory from Aston Villa as Manager and Richard Hill from Reading as his assistant in October 1996.

After helping the club avoid relegation in 1996/97, John Gregory left to re-join Aston Villa in February 1998 and, once again, Smillie took over as Caretaker Manager until the end of the 1997/98 season. He was then given the job on a permanent basis at the start of the 1998/99 season. The Blues started 1999 without a win in six games and, following the match at Luton on Saturday 9 January, Smillie was relieved of his duties and a new manager was sought.

Lawrie Sanchez - early daysThe Club then went through the longest period in its history without a manager, almost a month before former Wimbledon midfielder Lawrie Sanchez was appointed. He walked into Adams Park just hours before the Club was due to play its biggest game of the season, at home to Fulham on Saturday 6 February 1999.

With 18 games remaining, it looked a tough job for a man in his first Football League managerial appointment but the team won their first away game of the season at Bristol Rovers at the end of March. It was the beginning of a surge in confidence that carried right to the last game of the season at Lincoln. Roared on by a 2,500 strong support at Sincil Bank, transported to the ground in 30 coaches paid for by the club, the Wanderers won 1-0 with a goal by Paul Emblen 7 minutes from time to assure Second Division survival.

Season 2000/2001 turned out to be a football odyssey. Wycombe Wanderers reached the Semi-Final of the FA Cup in tremendous fashion, beating Millwall, Grimsby, Wolves, Wimbledon and Premiership Leicester in the process. The mighty Liverpool would be the opponents at Villa Park but, in a tremendous tussle, Wanderers narrowly lost 2-1. The League form had been affected by the cup run and Wanderers had a minor scare as games in hand were lost. Eventually the Blues reached safety to finish 13th in the table on 59 points, one place below the previous season and two points the difference.

The following two seasons seemed like an anti-climax after the exhilaration of that FA Cup run and 2002/03, in particular, saw a disappointing finish of 18th place, the Blues having collected just three points from a possible last 46 of the season. So ended the Adams Park Era.
Liverpool's Michael Owen takes a dive in the FA Cup Semi-Final as Jason Cousins and Jamie Bates look on

CAUSEWAY 2003

In 2003 began a new era. Still under the guidance of Lawrie Sanchez on the field, the Wycombe Wanderers Board of Directors decided to sell the naming rights to the stadium. What had been known as Adams Park for thirteen years or more, since its inception, became Causeway Stadium thanks to a sponsorship deal that saw local company Causeway Technologies front up the cash.

Unfortunately, with the general state of football at this time, things were not going too well for Wycombe. Although not in as bad a state as clubs like Oldham and Notts County in off-pitch affairs, on the field it was a different matter. Results were not going well for Sanchez and, having won just one league match from the first eleven of the 2003/04 season, he parted company with the club on 30 September 2003 following a 2-1 defeat to Tranmere at Prenton Park.
John Gorman & Keith Ryan

The Chairboys were sitting in the bottom four when John Gorman was appointed to take temporary charge of the side for one month, up to and including the Swindon away game on 1 November 2003. His period at the helm was extended when Wanderers found themselves in the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy with a trip to Plymouth's Home Park on the cards. Under Gorman's guidance, Wanderers beat the Pilgrims on penalties, having put up a spirited fight in the south-west. Amongst the goalscorers were Jermaine McSporran, Michael Simpson and Darren Currie, all of whom would later depart the club. Gorman's brief reign saw the Blues claim five league points and take victories from their two LDV games against Cambridge and Plymouth, together with their first round FA Cup tie at home to Swindon.

A new manager, ex-England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams, was installed on 5 November 2003 and was present when the Chairboys thrashed the Robins 4-1 to reach the second round of the FA Cup. He fully took over the task for the Brentford home game on 15 November, which saw his first defeat at his new club. The 'down-on-their-luck' streak continued for the Blues as they went on to pick up just four more wins: against Bournemouth at home, Grimsby at home, Oldham away and Port Vale at home. They did, however, improve their consistency by gaining a series of creditable draws totalling fourteen. It wasn't enough to prevent Wycombe from avoiding the drop and Adams had failed to recreate what Sanchez had achieved when he first took over the management hot-seat in February 1999.

The Chairboys were relegated for the first time in their professional history and ended a ten-year spell in Division Two at the end of season 2003/04. That summer saw the departure of much of the first team squad, including previous 'Player of the Season' and team captain Michael Simpson; midfielder Dannie Bulman; defender Chris Vinnicombe; play-making midfielder Darren Currie; defender Andy Thomson and the veteran Steve Brown. Brownie chose to 'retire' from football and completed his time at Adams Park/Causeway Stadium with a host of events to mark his testimonial for the club.

These first team regulars joined the previously departed Richard Harris, Gavin Holligan, Mark Rogers and Jermaine McSporran (the club's leading scorer for that season), leaving the Blues with just eight first team squad members, at least two of whom were carrying injuries. Two further players, goalkeeper Steve Williams and defender Ian Simpemba, had still to confirm their place at the club for the following season by signing the new contracts offered by Adams.
The former Arsenal and England defender made a host of new introductions for the 2004/05 season, including signing Nathan Tyson from Reading on a permanent contract and bringing in diminutive midfielder Matt Bloomfield from Ipswich. However, after a poor run of form and a lack of winning results, Adams resigned on 9 November 2004 amid a host of media speculation about his impending departure.

Keith Ryan took temporary charge of the team, with assistance from former team-mate and Youth Team Coach Gary Smith, for three matches before the Club appointed John Gorman as the new Manager on Tuesday 30 November 2004. Ryan remained as Gorman's Assistant, together with the legendary Steve Brown, and handed over to the Scotsman having picked up six points from the two league matches he spent in charge.

The remainder of that season saw the new team adjust to life in League Two under a different style of football adopted by Gorman. His all out attack and 'play with style at all costs' approach to the game brought a new era of football to Wycombe Wanderers and rekindled hope that the success of the early to mid 1990's could be about to return.

After a season of rebuilding, Adams Park was the hotbed for a flurry activity during the summer of 2005. New Managing Director Steve Hayes was unveiled and the new club motto 'Things Are Changing' began to bare fruit. Improvements were made in all departments of the club as the ground undertook a facelift to enhance it's appearance to the supporters.

A Fashion Show in July revealed the two new kits and included the grand opening of Scores, the modern day Sports Bar that replaced the old style Centre Spot. But, more importantly, the show gave fans their first glimpse of the five new faces to join the club for the forthcoming season. Tommy Mooney, Stefan Oakes, Kevin Betsy, Charlie Griffin and Will Antwi all opted for the light and dark blue quarters as Gorman set his stall out from the off that anything but promotion would be a disappointment come the end of the season.

Later, the charismatic Sergio Torres would also be added to the squad from Basingstoke Town and he was to become an instant hit with the fans as Wanderers went 21 games unbeaten at the start of the campaign and led the League Two table for 10 weeks from mid November to the end of January.

However, defeat to Wrexham at the start of February saw the Blues leapfrogged by Carlisle United and the club would only return to pole position once more a few weeks later. A catastrophic run of six consecutive losses meant automatic promotion had fast faded and attention had to be turned instead to the Play Offs.

Gorman, who had struggled to come to terms with the passing of his wife, Myra, earlier in the year announced that he was to take compassionate leave and a temporary mangerial trio of Steve Brown, Keith Ryan and Terry Evans held the fort for the remaining three games of the scheduled season before a two legged semi final Play Off meeting with Cheltenham Town.

Two wins against Rushden & Diamonds and Peterborough set the club up nicely for the season's finale but a first leg 2-1 loss to the Robins at Adams Park couldn't be reversed in the second leg despite all the team's efforts.

An unthinkable third season in League Two beckoned for the troops and a few weeks into the summer, the club announced that they had parted company with manager John Gorman - a decision which proved to be unpopular with some sections of the Blues support.

ADAMS PARK 2006

Gorman moved onto Northampton Town and the Board appointed Paul Lambert as the new boss. A former Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund coupled with an illustrious career at Celtic under Martin O'Neill, he arrives at the club with a great pedigree.

Upon his appointment, he said. "Everything is geared for a good season. One or two players have been lost and we need to get some new faces in to boost the squad. However, they weren't far away from going up to League One last season and that is ultimately what everyone wants to achieve."

And the Blues looked all set for promotion with a blistering start in League Two, winning six consecutive league matches and conceding only one goal in the process. But league form then took a back seat as Lambert led the Blues to the Carling Cup semi-final, knocking out Premiership sides Fulham and Charlton in the process. Striker Jermaine Easter, who had scored in every round, was the hero as the Chairboys held Jose Mourinho's Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Adams Park, with Easter netting the equaliser in front of a full house of 10,000 supporters.

Unfortunately, the Wanderers suffered a disappointing dip in form towards the end of the season and slipped out of the play-off chase; a 2-0 defeat at home to MK Dons with one game to spare killed off any lingering hopes of promotion glory and the Blues were left contemplating a fourth successive season in League Two.