Wycombe vs Aston Villa match report: Joe Jacobson's penalty earns Chairboys valuable replay

“Where’s the passion?” It was not so much a question, more an accusation. That it was posed directly to Aston Villa’s captain, Micah Richards, by a small knot of supporters, in the midst of familiar embarrassment and underachievement, only added to its pertinence.

Richards, substituted due to an ankle injury, insisted: “We are trying,” during an animated debate which began when fans hammered angrily on the roof of the away dugout, even as Wycombe were managing the final minutes of a richly deserved draw.

Rémi Garde, his manager, sounded forlorn and frankly clueless. He admitted he couldn’t explain his team’s indolence, which hinted at deep-seated character flaws. He spoke about bravery and quality, but there was precious little of either.

Villa’s plight will unfairly overshadow the contrasting diligence and professionalism of a Wycombe team who, according to their manager, Gareth Ainsworth, consist of “free transfers and boys told they are not good enough”.

They cannot be discounted in the replay at Villa Park, since they responded so positively to the challenge of a classic Cup occasion which energised a small community and revealed the pride inspired by unheralded clubs given unlikely opportunities.

Adams Park, a compact stadium tucked away by an industrial estate which leads into the rolling landscape of the Chilterns, was en fête. Flags flew, posters proclaimed Wycombe’s existence as a club “owned by the fans, for the fans” and a banner in the home end implored a capacity crowd to “believe”.

The rain, the underdog’s traditional ally, relented briefly before returning after the players had filed through an honour guard formed by 13 boys, none of whom looked older than five. Even the 2,600 Villa fans, corralled behind one goal, were roused by the innocence of the occasion.

This was the antithesis of the Premier League, with its tourist tat and corporate pretensions. The visiting supporters’ collective curiosity was piqued by the sight of a man walking his dog on the hillside behind the goal into which Richards gave Villa the lead. Their anthems of allegiance had resonance, volume and understandable spite. “We want our Villa back,” they chanted, but their first-world problems, involving a disaffected foreign owner, incompetent recruitment and feckless millionaire players, seemed a little too trite to mention.

The tie was underpinned by the compelling story of an emerging manager and a League Two club who make a virtue out of their humility and incurable optimism.

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The first time we met, Ainsworth handed me an invoice, made out to his home address. “This is the reality of my life,” he said. He had purchased a goal net for the training ground on eBay the previous evening, paying £29.95 out of his own pocket.

Little wonder, then, that he knew how much Wycombe stood to make yesterday, “down to the last 5p”. His chairman, Andrew Howard, a Leeds United fan who is a strange blend of racing driver and ice cream baron, admitted his club are “borassic”. The draw, potentially worth around £400,000, was the best result for their bottom line. Ainsworth, who observed without rancour that Villa are “in a bit of disarray”, hopes their fans will not reduce the reward by voting with their feet.

Wycombe’s instinctive resilience, best illustrated by their resolve in overcoming last season’s trauma, when they were beaten on penalties at Wembley after being 20 seconds from securing promotion in extra time, put their Premier League opponents to shame.

Villa are irredeemably poor, burdened by a static defence, ponderous midfield and inert attack. Given the advantage of time on the ball, they were briefly able to impose themselves, but stopped playing after taking the lead.

Carles Gil was allowed to stand up his defender, hypnotise him with a series of stepovers and guide the ball into the path of Richards, who promptly rolled it into the far corner despite the distraction of a desperate lunge by full-back Joe Jacobson.

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Villa could even have had a penalty when Richards appeared to be held back. Yet soon after the restart they were punished for a lack of urgency which smacked of revealingly inappropriate complacency.

There was a hint of a romantic concession to the occasion in referee Michael Oliver’s determination to punish Ashley Westwood’s flailing arm as he competed for a header with Matt Bloomfield. Jacobson remained calm amidst the usual games- manship and emphatically converted the penalty.

“My players will run through brick walls for me,” Ainsworth said, with unabashed pride. Garde’s players are quite happy to sit on the fence, pick up their wages and wait for inevitable relegation. The fans who accused them of not being fit to wear the shirt have a point.

Wycombe Wanderers: (4-4-2) Lynch; McCarthy, Jacobsen, Stewart, Pierre; Harriman, O’Nien, Bloomfield (McGinn, 81), Wood; Thompson, Amadi-Holloway (Ugwu, 70).

Aston Villa: (4-3-1-2) Bunn; Richards (Lyden, 83), Okore, Clark, Richardson; Bacuna, Gana, Westwood; Gil (Veretout, 70); Sinclair (Ayew, 70), Gestede.

Referee: Michael Oliver.

Man of the match: Pierre (Wycombe)

Match rating: 6/10