My interest piqued, I have checked it out on the old COTN site. I remembered Guppy’s wonder goal having been crucial but in fact it came 5 minutes from time with the score already 3-1 and the game won. Extract from COTN report below. Still a memorable moment though but just shows how much memory can get distorted by time.
Wanderers would effectively clinch the title if they beat Runcorn at Adams Park in a Conference game just two days after the trip to Slough (Thursday 15th April 1993) . 6,220 turned out to see what was to be a highly emotional evening. Before the game Martin O’Neill took the opportunity to get a few things off his chest via his matchday programme notes. The epic rant ran to just under 2,500 words [click here to read them] The game itself saw Keith Scott give Wanderers an early lead when he followed up a Simon Hutchinson shot from the right side of goal that had hit the post. There was a minor set-back midway through the half when Ken McKenna, the subject of much good natured abuse from the Wycombe following, struck a low shot past Paul Hyde from the edge of the penalty area. However, Hutchinson restored Wycombe’s lead before the break when he angled in shot from the right channel. Wanderers took firm control of the game after the re-start when Jason Cousins delivered a free-kick from the right wing that pinged around in the box before Tim Langford finished off with a diving header. The highlight of the evening though, was a stunning goal from Steve Guppy with around five minutes remaining. The winger picked up possession just ten yards outside his own penalty area before setting off on a run down the left flank. As he approached the Valley End goal, he nipped into the penalty area before dinking the ball into the near corner of the net. There has been few, if any, better goals at Adams Park. A 5-1 victory was secured in the very final minute when Guppy set off on another run before playing the ball across the face of the goal where Hutchinson calmly fired the ball into the back of the net. With the crowd still celebrating the goal and chanting “We are going up!”, the final whistle was blown and Wanderers had gained promotion to the Football League. Although the win didn’t officially mean Wycombe had won the title there was no stopping a pitch invasion at the final whistle and the first of many balcony scenes before the end of the season.
Are you getting confused with the Gateshead FA Trophy game a few weeks before? In my (admittedly dodgy) memory that was when Guppy ran the length of the pitch to score the winner with a minute or two left to avoid a very long trip for the replay
And fact checking on the wonderful COTN there is this extract from the glorious mind of Saint Martin. (How incredibly lucky we were to have him as our
manager at such an important part of our history)
“I noticed a letter by Mr. Haines in the Bucks Free Press, comparing our team with Brian Lee’s side in the early 70s and complaining of lack of fitness of the team today. I am not remotely concerned about comparing the current side with Wycombe Wanderers teams of almost 20 years apart - I was too busy in those days winning League Championship and European Cup medals - but I may wish to defend my squad where fitness is concerned. Mr. Haines remarked that we score first and then hang on “more by luck than judgement until the final whistle”. First of all let me apologise to Mr. Haines for attempting to score first in any game. That is an unfair tactic used by me and I shouldn’t be so ungracious as to attempt such a ploy. However his argument just errs slightly. I’ll take part of August and September for example. After coming from behind to draw away to Macclesfield, we beat Welling 3-0, Farnborough 2-0, Telford 4-0, Boston 3-0, Merthyr 4-1, Yeovii 5-1 (this is getting boring Yawn! Yawn!) Bromsgrove 4-0 and Kettering 4-0. In all of those matches we did the dirty trick of scoring first, unfortunately, we did theopposite to what Mr. Haines said and went on to score quite a few more goals in each of those games.
Strangely enough we came from behind again to draw at Witton, Welling and Stalybridge (this is getting really monotonous) but I take your point Mr. Haines. Interesting to hear Keith Burkinshaw’s comments after we played West Bromwich Albion in the FA. Cup. “We were waiting for Wycombe to wilt in the second half, but they just kept coming at us. We were all amazed by their fitness and courage.” Mind you, what would Keith Burkinshaw know about the fitness of players? He was only the Manager of Tottenham Hotspur for seven years. If I told you that Steve Thompson, arguably man of the match at the Hawthorns, was doing exams in his RAF camp at Leatherhead that very morning of the game - at a quarter to eight, maybe you’ll have a different opinion about the team’s fitness and commitment. Alan Hansen said on Saturday night that at this stage of the season players play games and then rest, and there’s no need for hard training (and he’s talking about FULL TIME professional players) He knows nothing either!! Just a reminder Mr. Haines. We, as part time players, chased full time - yes, their only job - Colchester United all the way last season to a record 94 points, won the Bob Lord Trophy and the Shield and played more games than any other Vauxhall Conference team and will do so again this season - well, I won’t be seeing you on top of Tom Burtt’s hill next week, but I’ll try to get the team winning some trophys my silly old way this season - for your pleasure and delight!!”
yes and Guppy’s celebrations were particularly wild because the team had planned to fly up to Newcastle in the event of a replay and he didn’t like flying
I did wonder if Adams would go back to Argyle. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if one of his first actions as DoF is to create a manager vacancy which he may then fill. He is surprisingly still only 50. Adds a bit of spice to the two games that come up over the next seven weeks or so.
