Wycombe Wanderers 2 Grimsby Town 0

Last updated : 30 August 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Adam Birchall, on loan from Arsenal, bagged a brace for Wycombe to see off Grimsby Town at the Causeway Stadium.

The young striker pounced twice for the home side in the space of ten minutes either side of the break.

His first came against the run of play with Wycombe under pressure right from the whistle as a Grimsby side, buoyed by their victory over Mansfield on Saturday, took the game to the Chairboys.

Indeed, it was the Mariners that came closest to taking the lead when Terry Fleming struck the post in the opening minutes.

The visitors then had a host of chances with Dean Gordon, John McDermott and Dean Crowe all going close.

Crowe in particular should have done better when his persistence saw him break clear of the Wycombe defence but with just Frank Talia to beat he shot over the bar.

With half-time fast approaching, Wanderers broke the deadlock. The Blues put the game beyond Grimsby's reach on 51 minutes. The away side failed to clear a Nathan Tyson cross and as the ball ricocheted around the six-yard box, Birchall leapt to head in his second.

This effectively ended the contest, which the Chairboys proceeded to dominate with some intricate play. Michael Reddy failed to grab a consolation for Grimsby in the final stages when Talia dived low to save his penalty kick.