Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield also rung the changes, changing eight of the side who beat Cambridge United 2-1 at Adams Park at the weekend. Bloomfield was in the Wycombe team who reached the semi-finals of this competition in 2007, eventually being beaten by Chelsea. He would not need reminding that he also played in an 8-3 drubbing by Villa in the same competition two years earlier.
Durán should have opened the scoring after just 35 seconds. Bailey’s through ball sent the Villa striker clear on goal, yet he missed the target. Yet it took the hosts just four minutes to register their first effort on goal, although Villa debutant Joe Gauci easily smothered Tyreeq Bakinson’s 20-yard effort. Veteran winger David Wheeler was causing problems down Villa’s left as the hosts stood strong.
As expected, the Premier League side dominated possession during the first half. Yet they failed to test Franco Ravizzoli again before the break. Indeed, it was the hosts who managed to keep Gauci on his toes during a steady opening period for the underdogs.
Substitute Garath McCleary had two opportunities to level. The first was an embarrassing air shot from fellow substitute Cameron Humphreys’s 78th-minute cross. McCleary’s next attempt, a fine header from 15 yards, was brilliantly tipped away by Gauci.
