Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield believes four players will have a ‘spring in their step’ this Saturday when Wanderers take on Shrewsbury Town at Adams Park.
This is due to several members of the squad spending part of their careers at the Shropshire-based team with great success.
Most notably, Luke Leahy was purchased by Wycombe from Shrewsbury this summer for a fee believed to be around £100,000.
He spent two seasons in the West where he played 101 games and scored 21 goals, whilst also being named as the club’s Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
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🤝 From San Diego to Wycombe, via Dublin, Drogheda, London and Shrewsbury.
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) August 11, 2023
Killian Phillips is our 10th summer signing, arriving on loan from Crystal Palace for the 2023/24 campaign!
During his last six months at the New Meadow, he was playing alongside Killian Phillips, who played 20 times for the club whilst on loan from Crystal Palace.
He, like Leahy, would then join Wanderers in the summer.
Additionally, Jack Grimmer had three separate spells between 2014 and 2016 where he featured in 58 matches, whilst Joe Jacobson played in 119 fixtures, winning promotion with the club in 2012 into League One.
Bloomfield said: “Whenever a player is up against their former club, they are always up for it as they have a spring in their step.
“Luke, JJ, Jack and Killian all spent some time there, and it’s great to have three of them back from injury.
READ MORE: Matt Bloomfield on the two Taylors - Dale's performance and Lyle's injury
“We’re very happy to have Luke back fit in the league as he’s been a huge miss.
“We were aware of Luke before he joined and I always thought he was a Wycombe type of player, so when we were up against him, he looked like someone who could do well for us.
🤝 Friends reunited on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/J4w938cZjC
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) December 7, 2023
“He is one of life’s good guys with an infectious personality and he demands so much.
“That was one of the reasons why we wanted to sign him.
“He is one of the players that brings life and soul to the training ground, and he does it in a way that makes others follow – a real leader.
“And with Killian, I enquired about him last January when I was at Colchester.
“He ended up going to Shrewsbury, but we knew he is a boy with a lot of talent, and he played very well that afternoon against us in February.
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“His physicality impressed me.
“We also can’t forget that JJ (Joe Jacobson] and Jack Grimmer also played for them, so they’ll be for it.”
💪 And now on to Saturday!
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) December 6, 2023
Book your tickets for Wycombe vs Shrewsbury at Adams Park: https://t.co/MY14v8hC8N
On facing the Shrews, who lie 12th in League One, three places and two points above Wycombe, Bloomfield concluded: “I have a lot of time for Matt Taylor [their manager].
“I did my B licence with him several years ago, and I think he’s a good football man who knows the game and he wants his team to play in a certain way.
“Whenever we’ve played against Shrewsbury, they have always been organised and tough to beat.
“We’ll know they will be solid and when I came up against them as a player, they were always difficult.
“They’ve got some very good players and we need to be ready for Saturday afternoon.
“They don’t concede too many, so we need to work hard for it.”
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