Stevenage manager Steve Evans has revealed that Wycombe Wanderers wanted the game to be called off following Luke Leahy’s serious injury.
The game was delayed for nearly 20 minutes in the second half as the defensive midfielder suffered a concussion when defending in his own box.
The former Shrewsbury Town and Bristol Rovers man fell face-first into the turf and remained motionless for roughly 10 seconds before his Wycombe teammates notified the referee.
💙 Proud he’s our manager. pic.twitter.com/iTG9X6KwXj
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) November 11, 2023
READ MORE: Stevenage's fans slammed for their behaviour as Wycombe's Leahy suffers head injury
As he was receiving treatment, a section of the Stevenage supporters aimed abuse at the stricken Chairboy, causing tensions and hostilities to increase inside Adams Park.
Evans told the press at full-time: “We were told that Wycombe wanted the game to be abandoned.
“It’s 1-0 with eight minutes to go and they want the game stopped.
“If you had what happened at Leyton Orient a few weeks back with people fighting for their lives and having fatalities, then one million per cent it should be off.
“But I instructed my staff and players to stay away and be respectful to the match officials.
“There was a lot going on and when there were discussions about whether the game should continue, I told my players to not get involved.
“And it was the right call as we’d been calling off games every Saturday if players went down with a head knock, however, I’ll be messaging Matty [Bloomfield] later tonight to see how Luke [Leahy] is doing.”
There's going to be another lengthy stoppage as Leahy is still receiving treatment.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
Must say, a section of the Stevebagfe fans behind the Wycombe goal where Leahy is receiving treatment have acted appallingly.
A serious medical situation and there's no empathy.#Chairboys
On the fans, who have since been slammed online, he added: “It’s not every day the away fans are louder than the home fans as they made Wycombe very quiet today.
“They were brilliant.”
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The result means it’s the 12th time in 17 matches that a clean sheet has been kept in this fixture, with there being a shutout in nine of the last 10 meetings.
It also means Wanderers drop to 12th whilst Stevenage remain in the play-offs.
Evans concluded: “This is Wycombe Wanderers and we know how hard it is to win here.
“I thought we played some really good football today, and there were periods in the second half were we controlled the game.
FT: Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Stevenage.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
Forget the game, forget the result, we wish both @B_Hanlan and @lukeleahy a speedy recovery.
Stevenage's fans should be ashamed of the way they behaved when Leahy was being treated.
Disgusting.
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“They never looked like scoring and that’s the biggest credit I can give to my players as I don’t think Ashby-Hammond has had a save to make.
“It was a brilliant performance by my team.
“We are known for our fight, aggression and energy and I told the referee at the end that it was a tough game for him to manage.”
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