Wycombe Wanderers 1 Crawley Town 2: McNerney and Payne goals bring Reds dramatic away victory

The Chairboys took the lead in the 15th minute through a cheeky back heel by Adebayo Akinfenwa headed down to him from a corner-kick.

Reds fought back in great style with an equaliser four minutes before half-time by Joe McNerney.

Substitute Josh Payne then scored the winner six minutes before the end with a delightful free-kick.

Dermot Drummy made two changes to the side which lost at Morecambe with McNerney returning from after injury along with Andre Blackman.

Lewis Young was on the bench and Jordan Roberts was not named in the squad.

Wycombe made five changes with Sam Wood, captain Matt Bloomfield, Dominic Cape, Max Muller and Sido Jombati all coming in.

Officials paid tribute to former Wycombe and Brighton hero Paul McCarthy who died this week.

The entire crowd gave a minute's applause in his memory after five minutes, which was his squad number at the club.

Reds went close with an early attack from a free-kick when Dean Cox's free-kick was headed narrowly wide by James Collins.

Wycombe's Wood forced keeper Glenn Morris to make a save, but then moments later the home side took the lead.

Wood's corner was headed back into the six-yard boc to the massively-built Akinfenwa who skillfully back-healed the ball into the net.

Josh Lelan got injured and forced Drummy to make an early substitution as he replaced him at right wing-back with Lewis Young.

Wycombe's Bloomfield and Luke O'Nien had chances before Reds managed to get back on to level terms at the perfect time.

Cox's corner found McNerney who rose above the pack to head home the equaliser.

Reds finished the hslf in the ascendancy with Cox going narrowly over the bar with another effort.

The second half brightly with Crawley surviving a penalty appeal by Paris Cowan-Hall, before Cox went close with a free-kick.

Glenn Morris made a terrific diving save to deny Will De Havilland's volley as the home side went in search of a winner.

The unmarked Bloomfield headed well over tthe bar for Wanderers.

With a good away draw in prospect, Crawley replaced Blackman with Josh Yorwerth and Djalo with Payne.

With all three substitutions made, skipper Jimmy Smith seemd to be carrying an injury in the later stages, but still continued until the end given a more advanced roll up front with Collins.

Payne had only been on the pitch 14 minutes when he took a free-kick just outside the area on the left hand side.

Payne curled in the stunning kick straight into the left side of the net to set the 161 away fans into rapture.

REDS: Morris, McNerney, Blackman (Yorwerth 67), Connolly, Lelan (Young 20), Smith (capt), Djalo (Payne 70), Henderson, Cox, Boldewijn, Collins

Unused subs: Mersin, Bawling, Clifford, Murphy

WYCOMBE: Blackman, Harriman, Jombato, Muller, De Havilland, Gape, O'Nien (Weston 87), Bloomfield (capt) (Saunders 74), Wood, Akinfenwa, Cowan-Hall (Jakubiak 80)

Unused subs: Richardson, Thompson, Bean, Freeman

REFEREE: Gavin Ward

ATTENDANCE: 3,206 (161 away)