Wanderers were defeated 2-0 by Aston Villa in the Sky Bet Championship on Friday afternoon, with goals from Jack Grealish and Tammy Abraham confirming that the Whites will be playing in Sky Bet League One next season.
Team News
Manager Phil Parkinson made three changes from the side that started against Derby County in the Sky Bet Championship.
Ben Alnwick replaced Remi Matthews in-between the sticks, with Mark Beevers and Sammy Ameobi coming out for a deputising Harry Brockbank and Jack Hobbs.
First Half
The first chance of the game came to Glenn Whelan, as the Villa’s midfielder blocked shot fell to Tammy Abraham, whose effort was deflected out for a corner.
A huge chance for Villa followed, as Elmohamady’s cross to Anwar El Ghazi was turned wide by the midfielder from close range.
The Villa pressing style of football continued, as Tammy Abraham’s header at goal had beaten Ben Alnwick, only for debutant Harry Brockbank to nod the ball off the line at the last moment.
A well worked short corner routine between Jack Grealish and John McGinn saw the latter have his low drive on goal saved well by Alnwick just prior to the half hour mark.
Wanderers nearly opened the scoring through Clayton Donaldson, as the forward shot at goal from the edge of the area, stinging the gloves of Jed Steer in the Villa goal.
In added time, the Whites came close to scoring as Will Buckley’s close range effort from Brockbank’s cross, which was blocked by a Villa defender.
Second Half
Within two minutes of the second half beginning, Villa took the lead through Jack Grealish as the playmaking midfielder latched onto a Tammy Abraham cross at the far post to put Dean Smith’s side ahead.
The Villans came out with a vengeance, as El Ghazi nearly doubled their lead with a low effort from distance saved by Alnwick.
Just prior to the hour mark and Abraham had Villa’s second as he finished from close range, following Grealish’s well-timed ball across goal.
Shortly after Villa’s second, a penalty shout went up for the Whites as Clayton Donaldson went down seemingly by a Villans defender, but referee John Brooks waved away any protests.
Joe Williams went close on 73 minutes, hitting a first time shot from Callum Connolly’s ball across goal that just finishes wide of the mark.
Ahmed Elmohamady played a superbly weighted delivery into the box for second half substitute Keinan Davis to loop a header wide of the target.
With the clock winding down, Davis flicked the ball past an oncoming Wanderers defender in the box and fired his shot wide of the far post. A chance he will look back on and hoped to have done better.
Mile Jedinak had two attempts on goal with three minutes of regulation to play, but both his header and shot from 15 yards did not trouble the score.
Tyrone Mings followed up on the insistent Villa pressure, with a speculative effort from distance nestling into the arms of Alnwick.
A quick lay off at the other end from Oztumer to Connell, saw the latter’s shot fly wide of target.
Williams followed that chance up with a shot from distance, which crept wide of the far post.
Following this, Villa had the majority of the possession but the referee called for time on this clash.
Full Time
Wanderers XI: Alnwick, Taylor, Donaldson (Oztumer 80), Buckley, Hobbs, Connolly, O’Neil (Magennis 45), J. Williams, Wheater (C) (Beevers 36), Brockbank, Connell.
Unused subsitutes: Matthews, Vela, Olkowski, Wildschut.