With nothing left to play for in their final two games at Champions Lincoln City and League Two bound Rotherham United, it’s been a strange season at Wycombe Wanderers.
Even for Wanderers’ standards over the last few seasons it’s been a rollercoaster ride and more since August 2025 – which seems a world away now.
The start of the season was nothing short of a disaster, picking up just five points from their opening eight games. After losing out in the play-offs the previous season, it was a shock to see a struggle on that scale and it didn’t take long before Mike Dodds was shown the door after a 2-1 loss at Peterborough in mid-September.
A few eyebrows rose when the Chairboys faithful gave Michael Duff the nod, but excitement and intrigue accompanied the decision.
Just one loss across his first 15 games in charge across all competitions had the fans dreaming of another play-off push – only to see their side tail off in December and towards the end of the season, arguably the two most important times of the season.
There’s still plenty of disappointment at the end result considering the position they found themselves in, but in the same breath no one could’ve predicted the amazing new manager bounce that Wycombe Wanderers would get given their poor start.
Let’s take a look at the standout players and moments in a season where the main story is what could’ve been.
Fred Onyedinma, the electric winger, is hard to look past for player of the season at the Wanderers. He has rightfully received plaudits from the fans all season, and he was a key part in the superb run of form after Duff joined the club.
10 goals and 2 assists is by no means a bad return for a League One attacker, but it was more than just his goals return that he brought to Wycombe Wanderers this season. A portion of fans have been critical of his work rate in past seasons – albeit a very small majority – but it’s safe to say no one can put him down for that this time.
Constant pressure that caused plenty of defensive errors paired with an impressive rise in defensive work has proven the all-around game that fans know he has, but maybe struggled to show before 25/26.
Both fans and staff alike will be keen to stop Onyedinma leaving Adams Park for the fourth time in his career if any interest comes in across the summer.
There could be a few players in with a shout for Wycombe’s YPOTY award this season – including loanees Sam Bell and Nathan Lowe – but former Brighton and Hove Albion man Jamie Mullins should be taking the plaudits for this one.
Mullins joined in the summer ahead of his first season in professional English football, after he had already played for Bohemian’s in Ireland and Brighton’s U21 side.
The Irish youngster scored on just his second appearance at Wycombe Wanderers and impressed straight away. He’s the type of player who’s always a joy to watch and was a refreshing site for those in the stands.
The mix of fearless defending alongside some outstanding technical ability is something Adams Park hasn’t seen for a while. Impressing on the national stage too, he’s also appeared for Ireland’s U21 side in their European Qualifiers.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of attention Mullins attracts over the transfer window and, if he stays at Wycombe especially, what kind of player he can become.
This might be a bit of a controversial one – especially with the likes of Aaron Morley returning and the aforementioned Sam Bell who had eight goal involvements in 17 league games. However, it was clear at the back end of last season how badly Wycombe Wanderers needed a spark. Along came Quitirna from Crawley, lighting up Buckinghamshire from the get go.
The pacy winger has bagged himself six goals in the league, with four of those coming from the bench. He’s got the ability to wear teams down from minute one or come on as an impact sub whenever needed. Having both of those in one player is a managers dream, and clearly something Michael Duff has used to his advantage this season.
He’s certainly not the polished, finished player that some might’ve hoped for, but his eagerness to get on the ball and make something happen is second to none. Another one to keep an eye on over the summer and see how he kicks on into next season.
It wasn’t just the squad who had a shaky start. Centre Half Dan Casey faced criticism very early in the season and often became a scapegoat while Mike Dodds encountered difficulties. A month into Duff’s stint, the manager substituted him at halftime during a match against Blackpool, prompting some to argue that his brief career at Wycombe should have ended there and then.
The Irishman didn’t let it deter him though and came back stronger than ever. Wycombe Wanderers fans finally started seeing the player Motherwell fans had been promising them back in the summer – winning every header, not losing second balls and even popping up with a few goals along the way.
Many saw his injury towards the end of the season as a key part of why the play-off push failed but with a full summer ahead to get back to fitness, fans will be keen to have him back in the side controlling the backline once more.
Both the ‘moments’ of the season both came pretty late on, but focus falls on the negative side first. Wanderers made the trip to their namesake Bolton at the start of March after three wins on the bounce. Play-offs looked a real possibility and a big game against fellow play-off hopefuls presented the perfect chance to really stake a claim.
It was a dream start for Wycombe as they went 2-0 up before half time thanks to goals from Cauley Woodrow and Luke Harris.
No one could’ve predicted what would happen next though, as the walls caved in and all hell broke loose. Bolton goals in the 88th, 91st and 96th minute completely turned the game on it’s head. Somehow snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, Wycombe saw their hopes of promotion fade from that point on.
Funnily enough just ten days after the Bolton debacle, Wycombe somehow saw a glimmer of hope with a superb away win at promotion favourites Cardiff City.
A Tuesday night in the Welsh capital after that Bolton game and a loss at home to Luton Town looked like it would all but end Wycombe’s season, but that would all change after 90 minutes.
An excellent first half performance went unrewarded in an all too familiar story but following a red card for City’s Gab Osho, Wanderers bagged two late goals of their own through Andre Vidigal and the experienced Woodrow and all seemed to be back on track for a grand finish to a crazy season.
Although it was all in vein in the end, the performance, result and feeling on the night was right up there for the best experience of the season.
While it was never the end objective Wycombe were aiming for, there’s still plenty of positives to take into the summer and beyond. That being said, they still need to address plenty of issues if they want to get back into the play-offs and re-ignite a march towards the second tier.
They have created far too many ‘what could’ve been’ moments – alongside some individual issues that sentimental value has masked. If the Chairboys can iron out these issues and improve on those five points in the opening eight games, it could lead to some success for them.
Michael Duff will certainly be looking forward to having a full summer with his squad to solidify his playing style and personnel, while building on the progress made in 25/26.
