By Matt Cecil

---

Wanderers suffered play-off heartbreak at Edgeley Park this evening after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Stockport County, bowing out 2-1 on aggregate after Liam Dickinson's early strike proved to be the difference.

A tense ninety minutes of football in the north-west saw the best team lose as Paul Lambert's men gave absolutely everything they could to salvage the tie but ultimately it wasn't to be as the Hatters booked a final date with Rochdale.

After two weeks of heated debates and mind games between the two camps, all eyes were on Edgeley Park as County and Wycombe looked to continue the series of absorbing play-off encounters which have taken place over the last fortnight.

But perhaps the gods were against the Blues as seven coaches full of supporters were stranded on the motorway as the game kicked off due to an accident, but with scheduling being so tight for televised clashes, there was no chance of the game being delayed.

However, Wanderers will wish they could have started ten minutes later. County, who had made four changes to the side that drew 1-1 in the first leg last week, including swapping regular keeper John Ruddy for deputee Conrad Logan, started the better of the two sides and saw Michael Rose and Tommy Rowe before top goalscorer Liam Dickinson broke the deadlock after seven minutes.

The Blues were just beginning to enjoy a spell of possession in the home side's half before Dickinson charged down two clearances from the Wanderers' defence and kept his composure to sprint towards goal and prod the ball past Frank Fielding.

Predictably, the sell-out home crowd erupted as Dickinson celebrated his strike, but that was literally as good as it got for County as far as goalscoring chances go. What followed was 83 minutes of one-way traffic and unbearable tension before referee Andy D'Urso brought an end to proceedings to consign the Blues to another campaign of League Two football.

Paul Lambert's side was unchanged from last week's XI and showed few signs of despondency after falling behind, with Delroy Facey in particular appearing to be a man on a mission with his boundless running and energy. Wanderers forced a number of corners and hit the crossbar through Mike Williamson's header, while there was a heated discussion on the touchline after Jim Gannon backed up his unprofessional comments about Tommy Doherty in midweek by urging the referee to caution the midfielder for an innocuous challenge.

Sergio Torres spent the game in his favoured role behind the front two in a diamond formation but found it tough to ignite the Blues' attacks against a County side who put men behind the ball in numbers, but supported by an excellent trio of Stefan Oakes, Gary Holt and Tommy Doherty, the Wanderers midfield always seemed to have the edge.

True, County looked potent going forward on the break, with Tommy Rowe in particular threatening to cause problems, but Frank Fielding was largely untroubled in the visiting goal. Stockport winger Leon McSweeney was the first to enter the referee's notebook on 28 minutes for a foul on Stefan Oakes as referee D'Urso performed well to prevent tempers getting out of control.

The best chance of the half fell to Scott McGleish on 44 minutes when, after a sustained spell of pressure without creating too many chances, Wanderers unlocked the County defence with some smart build-up play. Stefan Oakes crossed the ball across the penalty spot and when Gary Holt missed the header, it fell to the Blues' top scorer who could only fire over the bar in difficult circumstances.

Moments later, a smart turn and snapshot from Tommy Doherty was just too close to County keeper Logan, but as the two teams marched off the pitch for half-time, there were plenty of signs of encouragement for the travelling faithful.

And the second period continued the trend. Scott McGleish headed wide before the same player almost got on the end of a Gary Holt knockdown, but Logan spilled the ball inside his area and the ball was somehow scrambled clear with McGleish ready to pounce.

The same striker came close on the hour-mark when smart play from Sergio Torres enabled the Argentine to cross from the left wing, but a glancing header from McGleish bounced just wide of the far post.

Stefan Oakes then saw yellow for a foul on Stephen Gleeson but the Wanderer didn't let it affect his game, fizzing the ball across the penalty area moments later, but no Wycombe strikers could get the crucial touch.

Surely the goal was on its way. Wycombe were beginning to turn the screw; Paul Lambert was sprinting all the way down the touchline when the ball went out for a throw-in to speed the game up, and Delroy Facey was presented with an excellent chance to level matters on 66 minutes.

Sergio Torres capitalised on acres of space in the midfield before finding Gary Holt just outside the box, who in turn released Facey inside the area. The on-loan striker scored from a similar position against Bradford two weeks ago but this time went for power, and his rising effort found its way into the stand behind the goal.

Jason Taylor replaced Stephen Gleeson and Leon Knight came on for Sergio Torres as the half wore on, but still the chances came Wycombe's way. Leon Johnson headed over from a corner and Mike Williamson saw his effort cleared off the line as the Blues threw everything they had at the home goal.

John Sutton was also introduced to the action with minutes to go as Wycombe did everything in their power to find an equaliser, sending endless balls into the danger area but County kept managing to scrap it away.

Five minutes of injury time gave Wycombe hope, and perhaps the best chance of the game fell to Leon Knight who just couldn't quite stretch enough to meet a Gary Holt cross at the back post.

And then, that was it. Andy D'Urso sounded the whistle to spark jubilant scenes from the County supporters who had somehow seen their side cling on. There will be no Wembley trip or promotion for Paul Lambert's men this season, but what an incredible effort it was at Edgeley Park. Buoyed on by a superb vocal support, Wycombe simply couldn't have tried any harder to get back into the tie, but it just wasn't to be.