Town visit third-placed Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday looking to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointing 2-1 defeat to leaders Plymouth (KO 7.45pm).

The Blues have won only twice away from home this season - 1-0 at Lincoln and 4-0 at Portsmouth - despite having been in the lead in six of their seven games on the road. Only in their opening fixture on opposition turf, the 2-1 loss at Burton in August, were they never in front.

The defeat at Home Park was 11th-placed Town’s first loss in six matches having recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time this season in their previous two fixtures.

Wycombe are third in the League One table, two points away from Argyle at the top, who have played a game more, and behind Wigan on goal difference following Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Fleetwood, the Cod Army having come from 3-1 down to claim a point.

Victory over the Blues could see Gareth Ainsworth’s side to the top of the division with Plymouth not in action on Tuesday, although the Latics are at Fleetwood and also have an opportunity to go first.

The Chairboys, relegated after one season in the Championship in May, have a 100 per cent record from their six home league matches this season, but have slightly patchier form away where they have won three, drawn four and lost two.

Wycombe’s run of league wins at Adams Park stretches to eight including the latter stages of last season with their most recent home league loss a 3-1 reverse to Luton in April. Since then, the only home match they have failed to win was the Papa John's Trophy tie against Aston Villa U21s, which ended 3-1 to the Premier League club's youngsters.

Town manager Paul Cook’s side at Adams Park will depend greatly on the injury and illness situation.

Christian Walton looks certain to start in goal with Hayden Coulson likely to return at left-back having started in an unfamiliar right wing role at Plymouth and with Matt Penney having had a difficult afternoon.

George Edmundson and Toto Nsiala are likely to continue as the centre-halves with Janoi Donacien at right-back if he is over his weekend illness. If not, Cook may again have to utilise Luke Woolfenden with Kane Vincent-Young sidelined with a knock.

In midfield, skipper Sam Morsy again looks set to be partnered by Lee Evans, while Kyle Edwards may well get another opportunity in one of the wide roles, having made more of an impression after switching to the right on Saturday.

Bersant Celina could start in the other wide position having had a significant impact after coming off the bench on the left against the Pilgrims.

Wes Burns would be an alternative for the right side if he is over his illness, while Sone Aluko suffered a groin problem in training on Thursday and Scott Fraser has been out with a knock and wasn’t in the squad at Home Park.

Conor Chaplin seems set to continue as the number 10, despite having suffered with a back spasm last week, with Macauley Bonne the lone striker ahead of the former Pompey and Barnsley man.

Wycombe are expected to be without former Nottingham Forest winger Garath McCleary due to a shoulder problem, while midfielder Nick Freeman has been out since August with a knee injury.

The Chairboys are anticipating that Tuesday’s game will see their largest attendance for a midweek evening league fixture at Adams Park in almost 20 years with Town having sold their allocation of 1,800 tickets.

“We’re trying to get as many fans as we can down,” manager Gareth Ainsworth told his club’s official website.

“They’re a strong side, one of the favourites for the league and if we match them and can be competitive against them, then I’ll feel that we are a side that deserves to be where we are at moment.”

Town and Wycombe will be meeting at Adams Park in a competitive game for only the second time, although the teams also drew 2-2 in a pre-season friendly there in July 1995.

On New Year’s Day 2020, with news that manager Paul Lambert had signed a new five-year contract having broken before kick-off, James Norwood headed his ninth goal of the season but David Wheeler equalised as the Blues and the table-topping Chairboys drew 1-1 at Adams Park.

Norwood nodded in the opener on 54 but Wheeler looped home the leveller 12 minutes later.

The November 2019 match at Portman Road was the first ever competitive fixture between the sides.

In that match, Town had a goal controversially ruled out just before half-time and Tomas Holy saved a second-half penalty as what was a top-v-second clash ended 0-0.

Just before half-time, Luke Chambers’s header was diverted into his own net by Curtis Thompson but referee Alan Young wrongly disallowed it having consulted linesman Aaron Farmer with the players already lined-up for the restart.

In the second half, Holy stopped Joe Jacobson’s spot-kick after Chambers had fouled Wheeler.

Blues right-back Donacien spent a short spell on loan with Wycombe between August and September 2015, making two starts.

Wycombe stalwart Matt Bloomfield, 37, came through the Town academy and made one senior appearance as a sub before joining the Chairboys in December 2003.

The Felixstowe-born midfielder has now made played more than 500 games for the Buckinghamshire side but has made only one Papa John’s Trophy appearance this season.

Wycombe have two former Town keepers in their squad, one-time loanee David Stockdale and Adam Przybek.

Regular starter Stockdale was with the Blues from Fulham during the first half of the 2011/12 season making 18 appearances, while Przybek spent two seasons with the Blues before being released last summer having played one Papa John’s Trophy game.

The former Wales U21 international has made three cup appearances for the Chairboys.

Ahead of kick-off, there will be a minute's silence with the game Wanderers' final home league match before Remembrance Sunday.

Tuesday’s referee is Lee Swabey from Devon, who has shown 17 yellow cards and one red in nine games so far this season.

Swabey’s last Town game was the 0-0 draw at Shrewsbury in April in which he booked Norwood, Woolfenden and one home player.

Prior to that he was in the man in the middle for the 3-0 home defeat to Hull City in November last year in which he booked only Kayden Jackson.

His was also in charge of the 1-0 victory over Lincoln at Portman Road in February last year in which he yellow-carded Woolfenden, Flynn Downes, Emyr Huw and two Imps.

His only other Blues game was another 1-0 win, away against the MK Dons in September 2019, in which he again booked Downes, Huws and one home player.

Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Penney, Coulson, Edmundson, Nsiala, Burgess, Woolfenden, Morsy, Evans, Harper, El Mizouni, Fraser, Burns, Chaplin, Celina, Edwards, Bonne, Pigott, Barry, Jackson, Norwood.

Photo: Action Images

Bazza8564 added 12:03 - Nov 2 Well said Edmundo, as for me, well i'm resigned to my comments criticizing negativity gaining negative votes, speaks volumes of the people who just want to have a go......
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DaGremloid added 12:18 - Nov 2 Bazza - Likewise Cook's critics getting down votes whenever we say anything. We're all different - we all see things differently - we all take to some people and others we don't. As I've said before - and I'm tired of saying it - if Cook proves me wrong by the end of the season no one will be happier than me because hopefully that will mean we've been promoted. But I'm not apologising for being critical for now because 1) the team have many alarming faults, particularly in defence, that need ironing out out by the manager, and 2) because it's my right.

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Barty added 12:33 - Nov 2 Must win game imo and I am confident we can but we must have the right mind set from the off. Be ruthless. COYB
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Bazza8564 added 12:57 - Nov 2 DaGremloid, i agree, (and I have marked you up) but we have to give Cook the time to do that. And is having the right to criticize is spot on provided it is constructive and balanced, not just jumping on the bandwagon, NOT what I am accusing you of but some do. He needs a season with this side, no-one else would do anything better with them, who would we get? When we beat Fleetwood Celina was a hero for scoring a last minute winner against them. When Bonne scores from a Wes Burns cross in one half and a Matt Penney cross in the second, everybody adores him, nobody thinks about the tactical nous that built the system that supplies him, nor the substitutions and changes that brought Celina into the game to win it. On Saturday Bonne missed one sitter and fluffed a second chance (as did Edwards and Harper) and at Doncaster missed an open goal to pretty much win the game. At Burton Fraser missed with a poor penalty and on Saturday Penney gave away a goal that a scouts team would have defended better. Where are the crys for their omission ? Individual errors. But instead of holding those people to account everybody instinctively blames the manager. When things go well, we Laud the player and ignore the boss, its just so imbalanced. My belief is that Bonne and Penney both look jaded and need a break, not least of which to bring Pigott and Coulson back in to give them minutes in their proper positions. But what outcry do you think would follow if Pigott takes a game or two to get going again? He's completely rebuilt the club, when things go wrong for goodness sake lets all be honest and balanced that certain players, in certain situations, have let him down.

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TimmyH added 13:19 - Nov 2 Really only Chambers and Judge now at Colchester were consistently played last season...Dobra, Skuse and Sears were only small bit part players, the other side of the coin maybe Lambert didn't do a bad job in hindsight if you have the view that they were all duff players and now struggle in League Two. Personally feel Lambert should have seen last season out as the previous season was cut short due to Covid and ended on points per game basis before being given the boot but he shot himself in the foot talking about 'things were fundamentally wrong at the club' (though correct) - waiting to see if Cook can now do the reverse of Lambert start slowly and finish strongly! All eyes on the New Year when the real pressure mounts and the litmus test! To finish outside the play-offs after such a long season and no doubt time for staff, management and players knowing each others strengths (and possible further inclusions in the January transfer window) would be a failure in my eyes! The longer we stay in this tin pot league the tougher it will be to get out.

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Bazza8564 added 13:58 - Nov 2 Totally agree about the play-offs TimmyH, a full season at this level will be a litmus test, we have the squad to get into the top six at the very least and failure to do that, given the promise and improvement we have shown so far, would be a failure. However, we do still have 31 games to go, we had a bad start but we have risen 10 places in the last 9 league games, and as much as we are on a tougher streak of games now, it eases slightly after that, or at least we have better teams here rather than all away in a sequence. On Lambert i'm less sure, on one hand Evans gave him no money, on the other he made little improvement in us before we were relegated and our football last year after the first 6 games (by which time people had worked out to abandon the press and just sit back) saw us create chances in a month we see in a game under Cook. I see so much promise i this side but also admit promise alone isnt enough without something tangible this season.

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ringwoodblue added 15:28 - Nov 2 Wycombe are a physical and direct team, the sort of team we traditionally struggle against. We will concede at least once so if we are going to win the game, we will need to convert our chances which we failed to do against Plymouth. Hope Cook drops Penney and plays Coulson at LB and hope Donacien is fit.
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istanblue added 15:31 - Nov 2 Alan Partridge more likely to bounce back than us against Wycombe.
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masetheace added 16:06 - Nov 2 My concern is where is our defensive coach ? Both Roberts and Jeffers were forwards and are inexperienced so its little wonder we ship goals
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bluelodgeblue added 16:08 - Nov 2 We need to take our chances and we had more than a few against Plymouth??
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Kickingblock added 16:10 - Nov 2 I hope the blues bring 3 points back with them and Wycombe regret rescheduling the match.
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Ebantiass added 17:57 - Nov 2 Come on you blues. Please please a solid defence tonight.
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