Amidst the euphoria of guiding his team to a Wembley cup final, Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield acknowledged that securing the club’s place in League One remains his priority, so the midweek victory over Cheltenham Town could be one of the most important results of the season.

Reaching the final of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy lifted the spirits of everyone at the club but was quickly followed by defeat at Stevenage and a reminder that they are still uncomfortably close to the relegation places.

Wycombe fans were left smarting after the setback at Stevenage where goalkeeper Max Stryjek was sent off by referee Darren Drysdale who also denied Wanderers two penalty claims.

Stryjek was subsequently suspended for three matches for ‘serious foul play’ – a ridiculously harsh decision.

Now the Chairboys face another team chasing promotion when they entertain Barnsley at Adams Park on Saturday, March 2.

The teams met in Yorkshire in November last year, Barnsley winning 1-0 thanks to a controversial goal scored in stoppage time with Stryjek and Drysdale once again in the spotlight.

With the score at 0-0, the Wycombe ‘keeper was trying to kill time when he was pushed over by Barnsley striker Sam Cosgrove before dropping the ball, allowing Cosgrove to tap it into an empty net.

Careless play by Stryek, but with most people expecting a free kick to be awarded for a foul, Drysdale allowed the ‘goal’ to stand.

Wanderers later revealed that PGMOL, the body in charge of referees, told the club it should have been disallowed. 

It gave Barnsley their fifth win in the last six meetings between the clubs, the only exception being a 3-0 away victory for the Chairboys in August 2022.

The game was notable for two brilliant long-range goals scored by Dom Gape and Nick Freeman, both of whom are now with other clubs.

Barnsley have won six of the eleven previous meetings and suffered only one defeat in five visits to Adams Park, a 1-0 success for Wanderers in December 2018.