One season wonders?
In another bid to keep sanity, and remind ourselves of what a full-season actually feels like, how about this: one-season wonders for Wycombe.
Players who had one absolutely terrific season, yet for one reason or another, never really managed it for us again.
I'll start with a random one, that has slightly faded from impact in just 11ish years - Scott McGleish in 07/08. Scored 26 goals for us, including FOUR at Mansfield, two terrific volleys against Peterborough and Franchise. Fell out with Peter Taylor the season after. Got him the sack the following season, scoring for Orient against us in League 1.
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Jermaine Easter.... One good season during the League Cup run, then it all went to his head and he refused to play the following season. Wasn’t he waiting for a big money move to the Prem or Champ but ended up in league 1 and faded away.
I think at the time, he went to Plymouth who were in the Champ - to be fair to him, he was capped for Wales.
Interestingly, Easter leaving free'd up the spot for McGleish to do so well for us.
Cyrille Regis in 94-95.
Easter took ages to get going and then agitated to leave as soon as he started to get recognized but big contribution to the League cup year.
Stuart Beavon might count to some extent for goals, he worked really hard and created a fair bit the first year but didn't look much like scoring then absolutely smashed it the second.
That Beavon season was ridiculous. He had spent the best part of 18 months running around tirelessly, but never looked like finding the net. Then, he absolutely blew up - scoring over 20 goals in a relegated team, including one howitzer at Franchise, when he was so annoyed at the score, he just leathered the ball into the top corner.
Stuart Beavon came from Weymouth in early 2009. I think initially he played a few games in midfield, and had an injury or two. Scored a few goals in each of the next couple of seasons, good but unspectacular. Then suddenly in the 11/12 season he looked like one of the best strikers we’ve ever had, scoring over 20 goals including two hat-tricks.
He then signed for Preston in unfortunate circumstances in August 2012 and was replaced by Jo Kuffour.
Too late!
Miguel De Souza
Is it too pessimistic to say Darius Charles?
Noel Ashford - one amazing promotion season in the Vauxhall-Opel Premier then left just three games into the next season. His nickname gives an idea as to how good he was - 'God'.
I was thinking this the other day
Could Alex Samuel do a Beavon?
Peter Lowen 1963/64
Ian Pearson 1976/77
Stewart Atkins 1978/79
Was going to say exactly the same thing @micra
I remember thinking the same about Dayle Southwell.
Even less than one season wonders
Dave Farrell: Started brilliantly, but soon faded
Mo Harkin: Showed initial early promise but never lived up to his potential
Adam Hinshelwood: A revelation when he came into a woeful defence, but injury blighted his career
You'd love to hope on this but Beavon's first touch was exquisite and top level. Samuel maybe not quite so good.
My vote on this would be Declan Link but I can't remember if he played longer
Danny Rowe doesn’t quite fit the criteria as he never had a great whole season, but he was excellent at centre back when he first came in on loan.
Scott Brown?
Good shout @thedieharder. He had to overcome considerable negativity about his ability and he did so very effectively and with a great deal of charm and good humour.
I don’t recall Danny Rowe playing as a centre back @Chris .
How about David McCracken? Decent enough first season but an imperious second, culminating in promotion and inclusion in the PFA team of the year.
Peter Murphy.
He was unbelievable when he first signed, got a lot of goals. To be fair his decline in form was due to some awful injuries and personal issues but I loved watching him for that period.
He was there with Pierre, keeping Stewart out of the team.
Ian Pearson was superb @glasshalfempty. I was bowled over by him at the time and on one occasion I wrote to him about an intriguingly long exchange with the referee in the course of one particular match . I can’t recall the details but in his reply (I’ve still got it somewhere) he explained that the ref said he was not prepared to caution the opponent who had tackled him, shall we say, rather forcefully, because he was aware that had gone into the game carrying a slight injury.
Ian was a teacher by (and it showed in the quality of his response) but it made me smile to read about his “philosophy” in life.
Those were the days.
Another name that’s just come to me is Jason Seacole. We were surprised to get him (from Oxford?) but I think he may have been past his Best Before date and I don’t think he stayed too long.
Jason Seacole was a boy wonder at Oxford between 76 and 82, but injuries saw him drop out of the pro game in 82. He was at Witney Town when Alan Gane signed him in 86/87 his close control and trickery were a welcome addition in Gane's rampant title winners.
He struggled with the pace and physicality of the Conference, and was soon to depart back over the border into darkest Oxfordshire.
Mark Hill was a two season wonder, we went from the problem of having two wonderful left backs in George Borg and Hill, to ending up with neither and the not so wonderful Graham Pearce at left back !!
Steve Abbley used to control matches from right back, regularly ushering Dave Carroll out of his way in front of him so he could be the star. Martin O’Neill showed him the door in double quick time when he became the manager.
It's possible to argue that Jason McCarthy has been a one-season wonder on three occasions - Wycombe in 2015/16, Walsall in 2016/17, and back at Wycombe in 2018/19 after a year at Barnsley. He was Supporters' Player Of The Year in three of those four seasons (Barnsley being the odd one out).
You could always remember Abbleys extravagant lung busting runs, but you will struggle to recall them ever leading to a goal.
Abbleys departure, was a positive line in the sand by St Martin.