There were still signs of summer rust and they performed lethargically for the most part, but Fulham ensured they would not suffer the indignity of being knocked out by a team two divisions below them courtesy of Alex Kacaniklic’s 69th-minute goal against a well-drilled but limited Wycombe.
This was the first time Fulham have participated in the opening round since 2000‑01, and the manager, Kit Symons, sent out a strong team full of intent. He will be mildly concerned by their lack of end product though, even if Wycombe defended admirably, the victory coming from the game’s only piece of high quality.
Wycombe, unable to name a full bench such are the limits to their squad, started to wilt as the clock ticked by and all it took was one chink in their hitherto impregnable armour to be exploited. Ben Pringle sprinted down the left and spotting a significant gap between the centre-halves, crossed for the onrushing Kacaniklic to dispatch confidently into the net from 12 yards.
“It was a really tough game, we had to defend resolutely,” Symons said. “We knew they’d keep putting the ball into the box. They have some strong, physical boys and how they defended was the real pleasing aspect. It was a good break for the goal, we won it with a bit of quality.”
Apart from the goal Wycombe matched their Championship opponents in every department and their manager, Gareth Ainsworth, took great encouragement despite the defeat. “If we play like that in the league every week we won’t go far wrong at all,” he said. “I’m really pleased. They had players out there worth 10 years of my budget.”
The hosts should really have been ahead after half an hour when Garry Thompson hammered over a delightful Sam Wood cross from the left but there was a lack of penetration at both ends. McCormack found the top right corner six minutes before the interval but was correctly flagged offside.
Kacaniklic looked the most likely to cause damage throughout, though the first dose of real hurt he inflicted was to Joe Jacobson, sending the Wycombe captain flying on the edge of the area. Kacaniklic earned a yellow card but the free-kick was comfortably claimed by Marcus Bettinelli.
Fulham’s first shot on target did not arrive until 65 minutes, Kacaniklic sending a mid-range effort at Matt Ingram, but the Swede broke the deadlock four minutes later.
Joe Jacobson fizzed a free-kick narrowly over on 72 minutes but that was Wycombe’s only effort of note, meaning their wait for a home win in this competition will stretch into a 13th year.
