The Post Match Debrief: Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Stevenage

Excitement was in the air at Adams Park, as supporters got to see a new-look Wycombe side kick off the new season on their own patch for the first time since 2023.

The Chairboys started on the front foot but found themselves 1-0 down after 27 minutes when a heavy touch from Connor Taylor fell to Dan Kemp, who danced wide before drilling past Conor Hazard at the near post.

The concession of the goal seemed to take the wind out of Wycombe's sails slightly, as a quick counter moments later almost led to a Stevenage second. Hazard had to get behind Phoenix Patterson's powerful drive to keep his new club in the contest.

Wanderers would finally find the net with five minutes until half time. A great run from Silko Thomas teed up Ewan Henderson in the box to ram home the equaliser.

Despite a late scare from Kemp, who rattled the bar from distance in first-half stoppage time, it looked like Wycombe would capitalise on their strong first-half showing and go on to find a winner, but unfortunately they were unable to get into any kind of rhythm, and the football became stodgy once again.

Duff's side did create chances but lacked that cutting edge that cost them so many times last season, and once again, they were punished for their missed chances.

In the 95th minute, Josh Magennis headed home Patterson's corner to win the game for Boro and condemn Wycombe to a disappointing defeat.

The result was ultimately a massive disappointment after a performance that offered plenty of encouragement in flashes, and there is certainly plenty to take away from the first competitive match of the new campaign.

Whilst this observation might seem somewhat exaggerated based on the result, those who watched the game will likely agree – some of the football on show was absolutely top-drawer.

Wycombe spent last summer trying to build a team capable of playing out from the back, which became one of the defining issues of Mike Dodds' reign, but Duff has already shown that his side can be far more adaptable in possession.

Some of these passages of play were absolutely mesmerising to watch, with quick passes and movement opening up spaces in the Stevenage defence.

When Boro pressed high, Wanderers played around the press with confidence and also fashioned plenty of dangerous openings when the midfield and frontline linked together.

This type of adaptability will make Wycombe such a difficult team to play against this season, as they have the players capable of playing quick and long as well as short and measured in their build-up.

The Chairboys seemed to lack the fluidity they showed in the first half in the second, which was ultimately their downfall. The quality and volume of chances created dwindled, and Emre Tezgel didn't have much service to work with after he was introduced.

However, if Wycombe play like they did in the first half, they will certainly be able to carve open some of the most rigid defences in League One.

There were plenty of impressive individual performances despite the result, but Thomas and Henderson in particular deserve to be singled out for their contributions on Friday evening.

Henderson enjoyed an impressive pre-season campaign, playing in a deeper role than usual and looking like a man with a point to prove after his first season at Adams Park was disrupted by injuries.

The Scot managed to carry his exceptional pre-season form into the first competitive fixture, controlling the midfield in that box-to-box role alongside a deeper-lying Aaron Morley.

This partnership worked extremely well, with Henderson pushing forward when needed to support the attackers while also helping out with his defensive duties.

The former Celtic man was instrumental in most of his side's attacking joy and found himself once again in the right position to turn home a low-driven cross as he did in pre-season against Portsmouth.

As for Thomas, his debut was excellent. Arriving in the summer a relatively unproven youngster at League One level, the former Leicester man showed exactly why Duff was so keen to bring him to Adams Park.

The 22-year-old had the beating of Luther James-Wildin, repeatedly getting the better of the Boro fullback with his electric pace and creating openings or drawing fouls.

His assist was equally impressive, driving to the byline and drilling a low cross into the corridor of uncertainty – a great bit of traditional wing play.

Once Thomas was withdrawn, all of Wycombe's attacking threat seemingly vanished, and Tezgel had to drop deeper to try and feed off scraps.

All in all, Thomas looks to be an astute addition to the squad – a quick, direct winger who can beat a man and press high with relentless energy and pace is exactly what Wycombe have been missing since Sam Bell left in January.

Steve Cook also deserves a mention, as he was calm and composed in the heart of the Wanderers' defence on debut, showing the exceptional leadership and defensive qualities he will bring to the side.

Of course, the main talking point on social media after the game was how eerily similar the outcome of Friday's fixture was to what we saw plague Wycombe so often last season.

In the simplest of terms, that would be starting strong, missing chances, conceding a silly goal, finally converting a chance, pushing for a winner, missing more chances, conceding another silly goal, and losing.

Friday's game followed that familiar script almost to the letter, with Wycombe having the lion's share of chances but ultimately lacking that cutting edge to finish them off.

With Cauley Woodrow starting up front rather than in the 10, Wanderers were sacrificing some goalscoring threat to benefit their link-up play from kick-off, which is again something that happened last season.

Woodrow and Jamie Mullins, who occupied the 10 role, didn't quite complement one another, with Woodrow unable to provide the natural threat in behind that would have created more space for Mullins to influence the game.

This isn't singling anyone out or laying the blame on players; it's merely an observation as to what went wrong. We know Woodrow operates best in the 10, but with Tezgel seemingly not up to speed yet and Bradley Fink nowhere to be seen, Duff was forced to use the 31-year-old as a makeshift number nine.

It's clear Wycombe need to add another striker to their ranks, but this is easier said than done. Prices in the striker market are hugely inflated, so the club will have to bide their time to identify the right player at the right price.

The frustrations are understandable to an extent. We've waited months to see this team with all the new additions in action, and the outcome of the first game was a carbon copy of the main issues from last term.

Still, it's only one game. While it would've been nice to kick the season off with a morale-boosting win, the result can instead serve as an important learning curve ahead of the start of the league campaign next weekend.