The Wanderer - issue 119 - http://www.wwisc.co.uk/

Jamie Bates. Another tough, uncompromising centre-half. who joined Wycombe from
Brentford in 1999, thirteen years after making a solitary Isthmian League appearance for the
Chairboys on loan from the West London club. A rock in the Wanderers defence, he scored
a brace in the first round game against Harrow Borough and was a key part of the Wycombe
backline in the run to the semi-final. Surprisingly, he retired at the end of the season, aged
just 33, having played exactly 100 games in two and a half seasons. He became a postman,
before later working as a courier driver for a printing company in London.
Dave Carroll. One of our greatest ever players, right wing magician ‘Jesus’ spent 14 seasons
with the Blues, playing over 600 games and scoring 100 goals. Although injuries meant he
was no longer a first team regular by 2000/01, he did make four appearances in the cup run,
scoring a crucial equaliser in the Fifth Round Replay at Wimbledon, before going on to make
a substitute appearance in the Semi-Final at Villa Park. In the following season’s FA Cup, his
appearance as a substitute in the Third Round saw him make his 600 th appearance for the
Chairboys, becoming just the third player in the club’s history to reach that milestone.
Carroll left in 2002 to join Aldershot, before finishing his career at Windsor and Eton. After
football, he spent seven years working in the Uxbridge branch of self-storage business Space
Station, before becoming the manager of the Brentford branch.
Keith Ryan. Another legendary Wanderer, Ryan was a mainstay in our midfield for 16 years,
playing over 500 games and scoring 50 goals, including against Liverpool in the semi-final.
‘Rhino’ remained a first team regular for 4 more years and briefly served as player-manager
in 2004 after the departure of Tony Adams. Adams’ replacement, John Gorman, appointed
him joint assistant manager alongside Steve Brown and rewarded him with a new playing
contract for 2005/06. However, a knee injury at the start of the season prevented him from
making a single first team appearance and he retired at the end of the season. He was
retained as a coach by Paul Lambert, but left the club in 2007 and joined Queens Park
Rangers, then managed by former Wycombe boss John Gregory, working first as a youth
team coach, before being promoted to reserve team manager. After leaving QPR he went
into the flooring industry and became director of Now Flooring in Flackwell Heath.
Andy Baird. A product of the youth team, the Scottish striker was a fans’ favourite for his
graft and bravery upfront, his tireless running and willingness to challenge for every ball
earning Wycombe many freekicks and penalties - and the nickname ‘Crash Test Dummy’.
Unfortunately, this robust style of play also meant many injuries and the one he picked up in
the Fifth Round Replay at Wimbledon ended his season and essentially his Wycombe career.
Released the following season, he dropped into non-league, with spells at Brackley Town,
Banbury Utd and Oxford City, before retiring to Hook Norton, where he ran a sales agents.
Maurice Harkin. ‘Mo’ was the first player to graduate from the Blues youth system when he
made his senior debut in 1996 and the Derry-born winger/striker went on to be capped by
Northern Ireland U21s. However, he struggled to hold down a regular place and was let go
at the end of the season. He moved into non-league, featuring for a host of clubs including
Aldershot, Crawley, Forest Green and Havant & Waterlooville. He made more FA Cup history
at Havant in 2007, scoring the winner against York City to send the Hawks through to the
second round for the first time. After beating Notts County and Swansea, Havant went to
Liverpool in the fourth round and despite losing 5-2, Harkin was named Man of the Match.
He retired after a spell at Hampton and Richmond and was working in Twickenham as a gas
engineer - making extra cash hiring out his driveway as a parking space for rugby fans.
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