Wycombe Wanderers 2 Stourbridge 1

Akinfenwa rose at the far post to power the ball home from Joe Jacobson's left-wing cross to break the hearts of the 2,000-plus travelling red and white army.

However, it could not touch the spirit of the fans, who stayed long after the final whistle to give Gary Hackett's team the ovation they so richly deserved after pushing their League Two opponents all the way.

Wycombe manager, Gareth Ainsworth, made a point of waiting patiently to applaud every Stourbridge player off when the team eventually left the pitch, as well as saluting the Stourbridge support, and many Chairboys fans also lingered to show their appreciation for the efforts of the men in red and white. It was typical of the way Ainsworth and Wycombe as a Club handled the day from beginning to end, and from fans to Boardroom, and should not go unmentioned here.

The day began with the Glassboys faithful in fine spirits as they travelled by train, coach and car down to Buckinghamshire, and the carnival atmosphere continued throughout the game, marred only briefly by one individual's stupidity in throwing a flare onto the pitch during the first half.

Manager Gary Hackett made three changes from the team that earned three points at Barwell on the previous Monday, with Dan Scarr, Luke Benbow and Kayelden Brown returning in place of Stuart Pierpoint, Jordan Archer (Cup-tied) and Kayelden Brown. Meanwhile, the newly re-signed Chris Knight was named amongst the substitutes.

A goal-less first half saw Stour more than held their own, with Wycombe perhaps showing their visitors a little more respect than Ainsworth might have liked. Chris Lait almost worked an opening for the Glassboys within the first minute, but was dispossessed by a timely tackle, and then skipped down the left two minutes later before producing a good save from Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman in the home goal.

Wycombe showed their hand for the first time on four minutes as top scorer Scott Kashket broke down the left before crossing for the imposing Akinfenwa to head over the bar.

Luke Benbow then fired an optimistic free kick from out of the left some way wide of the near post, before Paris Cowan-Hall produced the first save of the afternoon from birthday boy Matt Gould in the Stourbridge goal, Gould clutching the rising shot above his head, and then Matt Bloomfield volleyed well over as the Chairboys continued to press.

All this was in a frenetic opening ten minutes, and the action showed no sign of abating. Leon Broadhurst's free kick from the right flank brought an acrobatic effort from Brown, with Blackman getting down smartly to his right to save.

Benbow's shot from just outside the box on 17 minutes looked momentarily as though it might catch Blackman out but the keeper was again alert enough to hold on low down, before the home side squandered the best chance of the half yet. A high ball into the box was knocked down by Akinfenwa and Kashket nipped in front of Kristian Green only to lash his shot hastily wide of goal when he really should have forced a save from Gould.

The let-off spurred the Glassboys on, and within a minute the tenacious Lait fed Scarr who swivelled and brought an excellent save out of Blackman with a right-foot half-volley.

The game settled for a period, with few serious chances at either end. Benbow's ambitious 30-yard free kick hit the Wycombe defensive wall on 29 minutes and was cleared to safety, whilst Scarr just failed to get his head on another Broadhurst free kick, and Benbow saw his shot on the turn from close range blocked at the expense of a corner, which was held comfortably by Blackman.

Cowan-Hall almost broke through three minutes from the interval as the Chairboys began to exert pressure, but a timely challenge from Darryl Westlake thwarted him as he looked to shoot, and then the final action of the half saw Sido Jombati's free kick deflect off the Stourbridge wall, with Sam Wood shooting over from the follow-up.

Half time came with the Glassboys fans behind the East End goal more than satisfied with proceedings, and with the team kicking that way in the second period the smell of a shock still lingered persistently in the air.

Wanderers came out after the break, however, with clear instructions to show a little less deference to their guests, and within two minutes were ahead. Wood got away down the left, evading the challenge of Broadhurst, and fired in a shot that Gould did well to beat away. But the Glassboys could not clear their lines and when the ball was recycled Luke O'Nien headed it back into the danger zone for Wood to cleverly hook home from close range.

The set-back did not deflate Stourbridge though, and they continued to look to push forward at any opportunity, albeit without creating many openings, although a Tom Tonks free kick did force O'Nien to put the ball over his own crossbar.

As the hour mark approached, though, it seemed that the home side were beginning to take control, and the Stour defence was having more difficulty clearing its lines, with the ball coming back at them too quickly and too often. Akinfenwa muscled his way past Scarr to force a save from Gould on 58 minutes, with the keeper relieved to see the ball fall for Jack Duggan to clear.

On a rare venture forward a couple of minutes later, Matt Dodd appeared on the left flank, cutting inside before clipping a shot past both Blackman and the far post. It was at least a sign that Stour could still have hope as time ticked by.

A couple of Stourbridge corners followed, and there were vociferous, yet somehow half-hearted, shouts for a penalty from the massed red and white ranks behind the goal from the second of them, as Duggan and Anthony Stewart grappled in what realistically looked a 50/50 contest.

Some slack Stourbridge defending on 63 minutes might have been punished by Akinfenwa who perhaps had more time than he realised as he dragged his shot wide of Gould's right-hand post.

And then, with 70 minutes gone, came the moment that will live long in the memory of every Glassboys fan there to see it. Westlake swung a deep free kick in from the right and as Brown challenged the ball dropped beyond him for Scarr, who wriggled free of the attentions of Stewart to plant a low shot beyond Blackman.

Cue delirium in the packed visitors' end, and with 20 minutes to play a replay - or better, perhaps - beckoned invitingly.
Wycombe were not done though, and a series of corners ensued at the other end, with Gould eventually claiming after a bout of "pinball". But if this was the expected pattern for the closing stages it proved not to be so simple as Stourbridge refused to sit back and attempt to protect what they had.

Indeed the unthinkable so nearly came to pass with eleven minutes remaining. Tonks swung another ball in from the right - A shot? A cross? Or a "cross-shot" as the midfielder would himself describe it later with the kind of consummate diplomacy of which any politician might be proud? Either way, Blackman, lingering on the edge of his six-yard box expecting a more conventional delivery, was caught unawares and, back-pedalling, could do nothing to prevent that ball thudding against crossbar, down, and then away to safety.

Duggan then stabbed wide from a corner, but was correctly adjudged to have handled in any case, whilst at the other end Gould had to parry an effort from Wood, with Broadhurst heading, safety-first, over his own bar to clear. From the corner Akinfenwa glanced a header of his own onto the roof of the net.

And then came the simplest of goals to break red and white hearts. Jacobson's cross, a yard of space for Akinfenwa, a bullet header, and Gould helplessly flinging himself high to his left in a mission that was never going to succeed. 2-1 to Wycombe, and perhaps ten minutes for Stourbridge to find a response.

Knight came on for Duggan, and was flung up front alongside Benbow, but Wycombe marshalled their back-line well and there was little the Glassboys could do. It was the smallest of consolations to see Akinfenwa taking the ball into the corner flag to eat up the seconds.

The final half chance fell to Scarr again, as Knight knocked a high ball down some 30 yards or more from goal, but the centre-back understandably hurried his shot and dragged the ball well wide of goal.

From the re-start referee Darren England signalled full time, and that was that.