BLUES boss Lawrie Sanchez warned his Birmingham counterpart Trevor Francis that there's plenty of football left in their Worthington Cup tie after Wanderers came back from 3-0 down to equalise, only to concede a fourth 60 seconds later. BLUES boss Lawrie Sanchez warned his Birmingham counterpart Trevor Francis that there's plenty of football left in their Worthington Cup tie after Wanderers came back from 3-0 down to equalise, only to concede a fourth 60 seconds later.

Wycombe looked down and out when they trailed 3-0 after just 24 minutes but they produced a thrilling fightback to give the first division millionaires a real fright.

Brum boss Francis said: 'Having been 3-0 up and seen them come back to 3-3 I can't possibly think it's over. Wycombe impressed me. They played very well and the tie is still very much up for grabs.

'Even at 3-0 down I felt Wycombe were our equal. They had numerous chances and there was very little to choose between the teams. We finished better and that's the reason we won it.'

Wycombe's waterlogged pitch survived two inspections and Wanderers must have wished it hadn't as they went a goal down inside 90 seconds after a comedy of errors.

Paul McCarthy slipped, keeper Martin Taylor could not hold the greasy ball and Geoff Horsfield pounced.

Birmingham's record signing added his second from a Peter Ndlovu cross on 22 minutes and 19-year-old Andy Johnson made it three after wriggling through the defence.

But that only told half the story. It could have been 2-2 inside the first five minutes. Horsfield missed a sitter for Brum while Jermaine McSporran did likewise for Blues and Dannie Bulman fizzed a 25-yarder just wide.

Sanchez said: ' I thought we were the better team but the quality of their finishing was the difference. That was the only area I thought they were superior to us.

'That's been our problem all season. We're better than most teams in our division up to the final third.'

But Andy Rammel, who is suspended for the second leg on Tuesday, pulled one back with his first goal for the Blues and the best of the night. He received the ball with his back to goal 25 yards out. He flipped it up with his foot and in one movement turned and whacked it home.

Substitute Andy Baird then reduced the deficit even further with his first kick, a deft touch to turn Steve Brown's pass into a 71st minute goal.

Jamie Bates then incredibly equalised drilling home from the edge of the box after Birmingham failed to clear a corner.

But Birmingham broke Wycombe's hearts within a minute as Johnson, the smallest player on the pitch, got his second of the night heading in a corner.

Sanchez said: 'It was disappointing to lose like that, but the game isn't over by a long chalk. We will score up there.

'We could easily have crumbled and lost four five or 6-0, but we're not that type of team.'

Wycombe: Taylor, Rogers, Vinnicombe, McCarthy, Bates, McSporran, Bulman (Senda (82), Simpson, Brown (Castledine (82), Rammell, Harkin (Baird 69). Sub not used: Cousins, Senda, Westhead.

Birmingham: Bennett, Eaden, Grainger, Purse, Holdsworth, O'Connor, Sonner, Hughes, Ndlovu (Robinson 46), Horsfield (Adebola 67), Johnson. Subs not used: Poole, Capaldi, Cipriano.

Attendance: 2,537