Wycombe Wanderers’ League One promotion ambitions took a serious dent as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Reading on Saturday afternoon.
With Wrexham claiming a vital win against Burton Albion earlier in the day, the pressure was already mounting on the Chairboys before kick-off. The defeat now sees Wycombe six points adrift of the automatic promotion spots, though they still have a game in hand.
Missed chances and rising tension
Despite enjoying the better of the play for long spells, particularly in a scrappy and ill-tempered first half, Wycombe failed to convert their dominance into goals. Adam Reach was the first to test Joel Pereira, attempting an ambitious lob from 20 yards that the Reading goalkeeper had to tip behind. Soon after, Sonny Bradley and Reach both went close again as Wanderers pressed.
The game turned combative as tempers flared in the Berks-Bucks derby, but Reading offered little going forward in the first 45 minutes. Mamadi Camara forced Will Norris into a rare save early in the second half, but it was Wycombe who continued to carve the clearer chances. Garath McCleary, once of Reading, almost haunted his former club with a powerful header, only for Pereira to make a stunning fingertip save.
The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when Cameron Humphreys brought down Chem Campbell inside the box. Harvey Knibbs made no mistake from the penalty spot, burying his 16th of the season to hand the hosts a hard-earned three points and preserve their impressive unbeaten run at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Reading’s victory extends their unbeaten home streak to nine games, while Wycombe will now face added pressure in the final stretch of the season as they fight to stay in the automatic promotion race.
Writer’s view
This was a match that exposed both Wycombe’s attacking frustrations and Reading’s resilience. Despite controlling large portions of the game, Wanderers were undone by a moment of poor discipline and a goalkeeper in inspired form.
With Wrexham now six points ahead, the Buckinghamshire outfit will need to regroup fast, making the most of their game in hand if they are to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive. Reading, meanwhile, are finishing the season strongly, and could yet play kingmakers in the final weeks.
