Fleetwood Town’s second half comeback was enough to earn them a point as they drew 3-3 with Wycombe Wanderers at Highbury on Saturday afternoon.
Second-half substitutes Joe Garner and Shayden Morris brought Fleetwood back on level terms with goals immediately after entering the action as goals from Brandon Hanlan, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Sam Vokes cancelled out Danny Andrew’s opener.
In the opening minutes of the game, Joe Jacobson played his free-kick into the box, but Fleetwood gathered the ball and countered, Dan Batty’s teasing ball into the box nearly found the head of Callum Morton.
The first true chance of the game fell to Andrew after just five minutes of play, the left-back received the ball on the left-hand side of the box after great play by Morton. Fleetwood’s number three cut inside onto his right foot and smashed it into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season, making him Town’s joint top scorer for the season.
The hosts looked to build on their early lead, this time Andrew was the one creating, as he whipped the corner into a dangerous area and Callum Johnson was the man to get his head to it, but it went over the bar.
Alex Cairns was called into action for the first time after just over a quarter of an hour had been played. The visitors had a corner that found its way to Akinfenwa, who headed straight at Cairns for an easy first save of the game.
Wycombe began to come into the game but great defending from Tom Clarke and James Hill denied both Vokes and Akinfenwa’s attempts on goal with excellent blocks.
Hanlan equalised for the visitors as he spun away from Clarke chasing a long ball and squeezed his shot through the legs of Cairns and into the far corner.
Soon after, the visitors took the lead through Akinfenwa. The Wycombe skipper, found himself at the far post to collect Daryl Horgan’s lofted pass into the box but appeared to have Hill in a headlock, but the referee thought nothing of it and allowed Akinfenwa’s near-post strike to stand.
Some positive play from Fleetwood after finding themselves behind, Batty’s attempted cross was blocked and found its way to Johnson, who crossed it into the six-yard box and not for the first time in this game, there was a Town penalty claim, which the referee waved away.
Andrew very nearly had his second of the game, this time through a free-kick. The dead-ball specialist curled one over the wall that was dipping into the far corner, but he was denied by David Stockdale.
Just before the half-time whistle, Johnson provided a great piece of defending to keep the difference at one as he backtracked onto the line to make a superb goal-line clearance.
Fleetwood started the half the better of the two sides and they were nearly rewarded. After a spell of possession, Johnson dinked the ball in, attempting to find Morton for an open net, but it was agonisingly, just a bit too high.
Wycombe’s first attack of the second half resulted in them going 3-1 up. Vokes converted Hanlan’s low-driven cross at the near after the number 18’s impressive solo run.
Anthony Pilkington tried to test the keeper from distance after beating his man. His effort was flying for the far-right corner if not for Stockdale tipping it round the post for a corner.
Simon Grayson made three substitutes all at once just before the hour mark and it seemed to inject life into his side as Paddy Lane won his side a corner after a great passage of play.
Town pulled one back from the resulting corner as Batty curled the ball into the box and with his first touch of the game, J.Garner made an instant impact off the bench, heading into the bottom right corner.
Five minutes later Fleetwood got themselves back on level terms and it was another substitute who made an instant impact. Morris returned to the pitch for the first time in a month and marked his return with a fantastic finish. He received the ball on the right-wing, beat his man, and confidently finished it into the bottom left corner as if he’d never been away.
Morris was running riot down the right; he won his side a free-kick which Batty played into the box and Town’s captain, Clarke, nearly converted it at the far post but it was headed clear off the line.
Fleetwood were not settling for a draw and continued to push for a late winner as Andrew’s free-kick couldn’t be put away by J.Garner.
Andrew saw himself standing over another free-kick and he was so unlucky to have not scored a late winner for his side. The full-back aimed for the top corner and it was nearly inch-perfect, but it clipped the inside of the post and stayed out.
Town continued to press on in injury time and Morris was bearing down on goal and seemed to be clipped but the referee waved away any penalty appeals. Batty took a long-range effort that troubled Stockdale but he managed to parry it away to safety to leave the game at 3-3.
Town XI: Cairns (GK), Andrew, McLaughlin (Lane 58’), Clarke (C), Morton, Pilkington (J.Garner 58’), Matete, Hill, Batty, Johnson, Biggins (Morris 58’)
Unused Subs: Crellin (GK), Camps, G.Garner, Clark
Wycombe XI: Stockdale (GK), Grimmer, Jacobson, Stewart, Tafazolli, Thompson (Wheeler 66’) , Vokes, Horgan (Mehmeti 79’), Hanlon, Akinfenwa (C) (Obita 55’), Scowen
Unused Subs: Przybek (GK), Gape Kaikai, McCarthy