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First County Visit:	Saturday 4th March 1995
Competition:	Endsleigh League Division 2 – (Tier 3)
Result:	Wycombe Wanderers 1 – 1 Stockport County
Attendance:	5,265
Away Trip:	69
Away Day:	297
County Line-up	1 Matt Dickins; 2 Richard Brown (12 Martyn Chalk); 3 Mick Wallace; 4 Paul Ware; 5 Mike Flynn; 6 Tony Dinning; 7 Jim Gannon; 8 Michael Oliver; 9 Ian Helliwell; 10 Alun Armstrong; 11 Chris Beaumont
Scorer:	Jim Gannon
Manager:	Danny Bergara
County Visits:	10

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BLAZING HEAT, NUMBING COLD AND THAT MAN GLEESON

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Jeff and I had driven down that morning.  Fortunately, the air conditioning on my vehicle, (an A4 by that time), was hugely effective, and having made a non-stop trip pulled up at the bottom of the industrial estate; turned the engine off and got out.  It was akin to stepping into an oven, and a pretty warm one at that.  Our first reaction was to wonder how on earth the players would cope with the heat.  As it turned out it was a game played, in the second half at least, at little more than walking pace as the players flagged. 

It wasn’t any more comfortable in the Hillbottom Stand, and much relief was gained when the stewards brought in supplies of bottled water and dispensed it free and gratis to the decent County following.

Ten visits for me to Adams Park, and there’s been meteorological extremes.  Two days before Christmas in 2006, the mercury had fallen to little above freezing point.  There had been snow on the ground at home.  With the office having closed for Christmas the previous day, it had fallen to me to be “on-call” for dealing with queries from the company’s call centre relating to problems with emergency repair requests on which they needed guidance.  That role came with the job.  And the prospect of frozen and burst pipes and central heating systems which had packed up was more than real.  So, my pockets contained not only my mobile but also the office contact device. 

It must have been a couple of degrees warmer in Buckinghamshire, but still bone numbingly cold, and situated as ever in the Hillbottom Stand the misty damp air made for an uncomfortable 90 minutes.  The fare on the pitch didn’t enhance matters as we subsided to a 2-0 defeat to make it the second reverse in 7 days after going down at Gigg Lane the previous Saturday.  But I was kept busy.  A constant stream of calls came through.  Advice was offered and approvals for repairs given.  And it continued all the way back home, and by the time we arrived back in the north-west the weather had turned for the worse again.  As midnight chimed, and my spell on-call finished, I breathed a sigh of relief.  It was a different way of spending a County away game!!

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My first trip had been back in March 1995. I’d waited 5 months for a new ground until visiting the Manor Ground.  Not so long this time – only 4 days until the same stretch of M6 / M42 / M40 was travelled again, but this time extending past Oxford to the environs of High Wycombe.   Adams Park had only been opened in 1990, after Wycombe had moved from their long-standing ground at Loakes Park.  The new arena is found at the bottom of a road at the far end of an industrial estate.  One way in, and one way out.  Plenty of parking around the industrial units which were lying silent on a match day, but if a speedy exit from the ground wasn’t achieved then a long wait and crawl to the bottom of Hillbottom Road was assured.  Time it wrong and it added half an hour to what was a three-hour drive at the best of times.

Reaching the end of the road the ground emerged.  A large car park, and the rear of what appeared to be a pretty small main stand presented itself.  Inside, the Main Stand, but 7 rows deep hardly caught the eye even though it was neat and tidy.  Behind each goal were similar terraces both of which had been designed to be easily converted to seating.  On later visits that had been undertaken at the Hillbottom End, but at that point the Valley Terrace was still that, a terrace, and to the best of knowledge still is.  On the far side was the Woodlands Terrace, maybe a dozen steps deep. It lasted until just after our second visit.  The cover was taken down; the terrace retained, and the impressive Woodlands Stand was erected.  Built into the hillside at the rear, it now holds just under 5,000 and provides hospitality, executive boxes and a restaurant and bars.  It’s been an impressive addition to the Stadium, and in reality dwarves the rest of it.

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Adams Park has been far from a happy hunting ground for me.  10 visits, a single win, and 4 draws.  The last of those draws is for obvious reasons the most memorable.  It was a Sunday evening kick-off, with Sky TV schedules determining it.  It meant a start from home just after mid-day; a drive to Marple to pick Jeff up and then follow the well-trodden route.  I dread to think how many times I’ve done that drag, and I use the term in its widest sense, from Knutsford to Walsall and beyond on the M6.  I hate the journey with a loathing, and even in recent years with Rob now living in Solihull it’s a trip I do at least twice a month.  It’s got even worse in recent years.  For ages there was a 50mph limit, and contraflows from Knutsford to south of Sandbach.  That was completed, (and it has certainly improved traffic flow), but within days the limit and contraflows had moved south, and now stretch from Keele to well beyond Stafford.  And its going to be that way for another couple of years.  I said I hate that drive, and it just makes me thankful that the whole of my working life was based no more than 10 minutes from where I lived.  Yes, there were plenty of trips and site visits, but those were very much the exception rather than the rule. 

There was a huge delay on the M6 just north of Stoke.  Traffic crawled and billows of smoke were apparent in the distance.  We inched our way towards it, to find a horsebox on fire on the hard shoulder, and a young woman battling to control the horse which was clearly petrified.  I hardly dare think what would have happened if she had lost control and it had careered onto the northbound lane.  I’ve always recollected that incident when I pass that spot and recognise that she was a heroine that day. 

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Arriving at Adams Park late on an early summer afternoon, it was unseasonably warm.  We were in the Hillbottom End as usual.  I much prefer a side view but there’s much to be said for that stand.  There’s a decent height allowing a reasonable view of the far end.  It held just over 2,000, and while not at capacity that day it wasn’t too far off as County fans turned out in numbers for the first leg of the Play-Off semi-final.  It was a step that had been denied us 12 months previously when, despite a 5-goal win at the Darlington Arena on the last day, Bristol Rovers had pipped us for the last play-off spot. 

Since the turn of the year we had won 16 out of 23 games, and hopes were high of a Wembley appearance.  Gannon had taken the opportunity, with play-off status already secured before the last game of the league season against Brentford, to rest some of the players who had played vital roles in that run. 

Only two of the team, (Paul Turnbull and Michael Rose), for the Wycombe game had featured in the game 8 days previously.  So, there was no excuse for tiredness.  That season Turnbull, still only 19 despite having made his debut, as County’s youngest ever player, three years earlier, had made only sporadic appearances.  A loan spell at Altrincham must have rejuvenated him, as he came into the team for the play-offs, which ended with him arguably putting in a man of the match performance at Wembley.  Twelve years on and he is still a key part of the County squad, is club captain, and despite having spent time away at 5 other clubs has returned to his first home.

The game started with County fans shielding their eyes from the setting sun behind the Valley End.  Wycombe’s approach to the game was somewhat rustic, and that’s more than charitable.  A poor challenge on Michael Raynes saw him subbed early on and cost him a place at Wembley. It didn’t stop there either.  Tommy Rowe and Dom Blizzard also suffered. 

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Wycombe took a one goal lead into the break, and for much of the second half it looked as though we would take a narrow deficit into the second leg, due at EP 6 days later.  That was, until the 82^nd minute.  Step up Stephen Gleeson. 

Gleeson had spent part of the 2006/07 season on loan from Wolves and had made a real impression as an industrious midfielder, with more than a modicum of ability.  When he returned to Molineux 5 games into the legendary “Nine in a Row” run, he left the pitch at Edgar Street to a standing ovation.  County fans were more than appreciative of him.  His return, once again on loan, at the beginning of April 2008 was really welcomed as County pushed on to the end of the season.  Strangely, he only featured intermittently, and started the Wycombe game on the bench, emerging as a half time sub for the previously afflicted Blizzard.  Gleeson spent half of the next season at EP, and has, of course had a more than decent career at MK Dons; Birmingham and latterly at Aberdeen.  Certainly, one of my favourite players from that era.

So, eight minutes from time.  James Smith took a throw-in on County’s right, close to the Hillbottom End, and the County contingent. A one-two between Gary Dicker and Smith saw the ball launched into the Wycombe area.  It was headed out and Turnbull lobbed it back in.  Headed out again.  It fell in an arc to Gleeson, 25 yards out, who caught it absolutely perfectly on the volley.  Frank Fielding in the Wycombe goal flailed at it but had no chance.  It screamed into the back of the net.  Cue delirium in the Hillbottom End.  The highlights link in the list below shows the whole game.  But to catch the quality of the goal, and the reaction check “The Greatest Goal of All Time”

It was “a goal that changed nothing”.  So said Lambert as the touchline antics continued into a war of words with Gannon after the match.  The aggregate scoreline by 8.00pm 6 days later says otherwise!!  Lambert then continued it with more nonsense in the run up to the second leg, reportedly saying that the prospect of heading to Stockport “didn’t scare him” and that he used to play for a club that had “more people watching training than Stockport would have in their ground”.  A warm reception awaited him and was duly delivered.

Adams Park certainly has that fond memory, and car egress notwithstanding, I always enjoyed going there.  It’s hard to believe that its now nine years since we last went.

May 2020

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VISITS

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Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Away Day
Sat	04/03/95	Endsleigh League Division 2	Tier 3	Wycombe Wanderers	D	1	1	5,265	297
Sat	24/02/96 (Highlights)	Endsleigh League Division 2	Tier 3	Wycombe Wanderers	L	1	4	4,246	319
Sat	05/04/03	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Wycombe Wanderers	W	4	1	5,632	483
Sat	09/08/03	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Wycombe Wanderers	L	0	1	4,826	486
Sat	28/01/06	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wycombe Wanderers	D	1	1	5,512	547
Sat	23/12/06 (Highlights)	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wycombe Wanderers	L	0	2	4,559	568
Mon	24/03/08	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wycombe Wanderers	D	0	0	5,380	602
Sun	11/05/08 (Highlights)	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4 Play-off semi final	Wycombe Wanderers	D	1	1	6,371	606
Sat	05/12/09 (Highlights)	Coca-Cola Football League – League 1	Tier 3	Wycombe Wanderers	L	1	2	4,343	644
Sat	02/04/11 (Highlights)	npower Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wycombe Wanderers	L	0	2	6,836	674

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ON MY JOURNEY WITH COUNTY AROUND 180 GROUNDS

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Previously – MANOR GROUND Next stop – MEADOW LANE