Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield said he was ‘angry and disgusted' following accusations that he tried to get the 1-0 home loss against Stevenage abandoned.
The Chairboys lost their first home league match on a Saturday afternoon in six weeks thanks to a goal from Jamie Reid, with the fixture being overshadowed by two serious injuries.
The first was to Brandon Hanlan after he was thrown to the ground by Boro captain, Carl Piergianni, which resulted in an issue with his knee.
Bloomfield: "We had to protect Luke [Leahy] from the [Stevenage] chants behind the goal, we had to build a barrier between him and the fans.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
"I’m so sad and upset by what I witnessed today."#Chairboys
READ MORE: Stevenage's fans slammed for their behaviour as Wycombe's Leahy suffers head injury
He was treated for 14 minutes before being taken off.
Then, eight minutes to go, Luke Leahy suffered a serious-looking head injury which led to the ex-Shrewsbury man losing consciousness and the play was once again stopped for a lengthy period.
During his treatment, Stevenage’s fans were seen hurling abuse at the stricken defensive midfielder, with some allegedly throwing missiles onto the pitch.
Speaking to the press, Bloomfield said: “I’m angry and disgusted by what has happened today.
READ MORE: 'He was unresponsive' - Bloomfield provides update on Brandon Hanlan and Luke Leahy
“Brandon gets some rugby tackle, WWE slam move into the ground and does his knee but just before that, were we at our best? No.
Steve Evans: "We were told that Wycombe wanted the game to be abandoned.
— James Richings (@James_BFP) November 11, 2023
“It’s 1-0 with eight minutes to go and they want the game stopped.
"We’d been calling off games every Saturday if players went down with a head knock."#Chairboys https://t.co/hlLlq8UM3h
“We knew what type of game it would be and it’s hard to be your best when you stop start all the “time.
“We tried to conduct ourselves in the right manner as a football club by keeping our dignity and class, and I feel that’s an important thing to have.
“We had to protect Luke [Leahy] from the chants behind the goal.
“We had to build a barrier between him and the fans…I had to retire because of concussion but none of them was as serious as what we saw today.
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
“Then I’m being accused of trying to get the game abandoned which is 100 per cent not true – I just wanted to know the welfare of my players.
“I was learning about the severity of what was going on.
“I’m the manager of this football club and I need to protect us because it’s my responsibility.
“We will conduct ourselves in the best possible way we can.
“I’m just so sad and upset by what I witnessed today.”
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