Heartbreak for Blues after second-half defensive collapse

Feb 14 2012 By Greg Burns at Adams Park

Wycombe 2-3 Yeovil

VALENTINE'S Night ended in heartbreak for Wycombe as a second-half collapse at home to Yeovil saw them drop back into the relegation zone.

Wanderers headed into the break with a 1-0 lead over relegation rivals Yeovil but a brace from Andy Williams and header from substitute Kieran Agard after the interval turned the game in the Glovers' favour.

The three goals came in 14 second-half minutes as Wanderers shot themselves in the foot and left themselves two points clear of League One safety.

It was a disastrous result for Gary Waddock's strugglers who targeted the game as essential to help them build a real survival bid.

The game started tentatively with Gareth Ainsworth shooting wide and Williams curling an effort past Nikki Bull's post.

But Wanderers took a vital lead on 15 minutes when Matt Whichelow squared for Beavon to lash in his 14^th goal of the season and first in three games.

Yeovil had plenty of fight and Bull had to produce a save to deny a Gavin Williams volley while his namesake Andy fired a snapshot over the crossbar.

But a very familiar Wycombe surfaced after the break with defensive howlers gifting the Glovers an unassailable lead.

The leveller came on 59 minutes when Williams tapped in from close range before Spurs loanee Jonathan Obika missed a golden chance to put them ahead five minutes later when his free header went over.

But moments later they were in front and it was Williams who netted when his low cross went straight in with Bull under pressure from Obika.

The nightmare continued six minutes later when Agard was left unmarked in the box to head in a Nathan Jones free-kick and put Yeovil 3-1 up.

A triple substitution saw Joel Grant, Stuart Lewis and Ben Strevens introduced to spark a comeback for Blues and it was Grant who pulled a goal back with 12 minutes to play.

The winger was released by a superb Matt Bloomfield pass and he finished low and hard into the bottom corner for his third goal of the season.

But the damage had been done and Wanderers were left to rue a disastrous defensive spell to heap more pressure on their weekend trip to Walsall.

WANDERERS: Bull, Laing, Johnson, Winfield, Basey, Ainsworth (Strevens 74), Harper (Lewis 74), Bloomfield, McNamee (Grant 74), Whichelow, Beavon.

Subs (not used): Foster, McClure.

Booked: Bloomfield (31 mins), Basey (45 mins), Winfield (72 mins), Strevens (90 mins)

YEOVIL: Walker, Ayling, Jones, N'Gala, Hinds, G Williams (Agard 66), Upson, D'Ath (Blizzard 90), Parrett, A Williams, Obika (Haynes-Brown 90).

Subs (not used): Stewart, MacLean.

Booked: G Williams (35 mins), Parrett (84 mins), Obika (87 mins).

Att: 3,529.

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