It's Crunch Time For The Adams Park Family On And Off Pitch

WYCOMBE WANDERERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

- John Lyons

THE opening stages of this season have been pretty special for Wycombe Wanderers – but the next few weeks could be crucial for their future prospects.

On the field of play, a Joe Jacobson hat-trick – two goals direct from corners and a free-kick – earned the Chairboys a 3-1 victory against Lincoln City a couple of weeks ago.

It took Wycombe to the top of the League One standings, the highest position in their 132-year history. Results faltered a little after that, but they still headed into yesterday’s game against Portsmouth in third place, not bad for a club written off by the socalled experts ahead of the campaign.

Meanwhile, off the pitch, the club are heading towards a pivotal moment in their history. Currently under the ownership of the Wycombe Wanderers Trust (WWT), there are talks taking place with American businessman Rob Couhig, who wishes to purchase 75 percent of the club’s shares.

Agreement

The 70-year-old had previously lined up a takeover at Yeovil, but that fell through at the end of last season. Now, though, it appears he is on the brink of taking a controlling interest in the Chairboys.

In a statement to their members at the start of this month, the WWT said they hoped to get an agreement signed with Couhig, the former owner of the New Orleans Zephyrs baseball team, by the end of this month. This would need to be ratified by 75 percent of Legacy Members – those who have been a season ticket holder for four consecutive seasons, including this one, and are Trust members.

As part of the deal, Adams Park would remain 100 percent owned by the Trust.

Wycombe chairman Trevor Stroud, also chairman of the WWT, manager Gareth Ainsworth and Couhig met supporters at a Fans’ Forum on Thursday evening to discuss the plans, but it was already clear that the WWT have faith in Couhig’s vision.