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Date: 19 September 1998
Bournemouth rose to third place as a result of a performance which was unimpressive, but against an even weaker team. The two first half goals - the first initially credited to Robinson but later agreed to have come off Fletcher, the second a very simple but ample tap from O'Neill - were sufficient to give Bournemouth maximum points, while some late Bournemouth corners could have increased the score.
The excellent travelling support totally filled the small visitors' stand at Wycombe and were vocal throughout the game.
Bailey and Robinson both received injuries, the latter being replaced by Tindall in the second half as a precaution. Tindall and Fletcher, however, were the two weak links in the Cherries' team. Although they both showed an ability to get into good scoring positions, Tindall's shots always widely missed the target, and Fletcher always passed the ball when a shot would have been more appropriate.
Berthe was apparently injured, so O'Neill took his place for his first start of the season. The team lined up as follows at the start of the game (my scores out of ten):
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Ovendale (8);
Young (7), Cox (8), Howe (7), Vincent (7);
Bailey (8);
O'Neill (8), Robinson (7), Hughes (7);
Fletcher (6), Stein (8)
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