Wycombe Wanderers 4 Preston North End 1 - Match report on a dreadful day in the FA Cup for the Lilywhites

They found themselves 3-0 down inside the first 25 minutes, their defence pulled all over the place by a vibrant Chairboys side who were first to everything.

Fred Onyedinma headed the home side in front with less than three minutes gone, Joe Jacobson netting from the penalty spot with nine minutes played.

Josh Knight side-footed in Wycombe's third to stun North End who were at sixes and sevens at that stage of the game.

Emil Riis pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the run-up to half-time but it was to have no affect on the outcome.

Although North End were better in the second half, helped by a couple of half-time substitutions, and saw more of the ball, they never really looked like getting back into the contest.

It was left to Wycombe to score the only goal of the second half, substitute Alex Samuel running clear to score in the 82nd minute.

There was almost a fifth later on when Daryl Horgan's shot came back off the post.

Three years running, Preston have now exited the FA Cup at the third round stage and leaves them with just the Championship to concentrate on.

Alex Neil made seven changes to the North End side and they started in a 4-4-2 with a diamond-shaped midfield. Ryan Ledson was at the base of the diamond, with Tom Bayliss and Jayson Molumby in front of him and Brad Potts at the top of it.

Andrew Hughes, named as skipper for the day, partnered Jordan Storey in the centre of defence, with Joe Rafferty and Josh Earl as the full-backs.

Wycombe were in front within two-and-a-half minute, Leicester City loanee Admiral Muskwe getting past Earl as he cut in from the right, his cross to the far post met by Onyedinma who rose above Rafferty to send a header back across goal into the net.

It was a lead they doubled in the ninth minute, referee Stephen Martin pointing to the spot after Earl brought down Uche Ikpeazu.

The contact seemed to be just outside the box but Ikpeazu fell inside.

Jacobson stepped up and put the penalty down the middle with Connor Ripley diving to his right.

North End had a chance to halve the deficit soon after, Ryan Ledson's free-kick appearing to be headed on to his own bar by Ryan Tafazolli, with Hughes' follow-up pushed out by the keeper.

The pressure was in the main at the other end with Wycombe seemingly first to everything and so lively.

It needed a fine sliding block from Hughes to take a shot from Muskwe behind for a corner before Wycombe made it 3-0 in the 25th minute.

Jacobsen delivered a free-kick left to right, with Jason McCarthy collecting it down the side of the box.

McCarthy cut it back into the middle for Knight to side-foot a shot past Ripley from close range.

It was nearly four on the half-hour, Jacobsen whipping over a left-footed corner from the right which Ripley did well to punch out on the line.

Wycombe appealed for a goal but goalline technology indicated it hadn't gone over and replays showed little of the ball had gone over.

North End pulled a goal back two minutes before the interval, Potts' long ball forward chased by Riis.

The striker reached it just before goalkeeper Ryan Allsop who brought him down as he tried to go down the side of him.

Riis picked himself up to send the keeper the wrong way from the spot.

Alex Neil changed things at half-time, bringing on Alan Browne and Paul Huntington for Tom Bayliss and Earl.

Hughes switched to left-back, Huntington partnered Storey, with Browne slotting into midfield.

Six minutes into the second half Huntington's clearing header from a corner fell to Matt Bloomfield, the midfielder's shot parried by the diving Ripley.

Allsop had to dive and grab the ball near his post after a cross aimed at Riis came off a Wycombe boot and ran goalwards.

The game opened up as the second half went on, Wycombe happy to counter-attack as North End toiled for a way back into the game.

Fog rolled in as the half went on but was never thick enough to threaten an abandonment.

Ripley blocked from Ikpeazu at the end of one of those counters, at the other end Browne lifted a shot over the roof of the stand from Riis' cut back.

In the 78th minute, Ripley saved well from Samuel after the substitute had got through on goal.

Stockley put a near post header too close to Allsop after meeting a Hughes cross, before Wycombe wrapped-up victory eight minutes from time.

Former PNE winger Horgan, on as a substitute, sent Samuel clear and this time he stroked a nice finish past the advancing Ripley.

Horgan saw a curling shot from outside the post come back off the post as the home side finished with a flourish.

Wycombe: Allsop, McCarthy, Knight, Tafazolli, Jacobson, Bloomfield (Horgan 57), Adeniran Gape 65), Wheelers, Muskwe (Samuel 75), Onyedinma, Ikpeazu (Akinfenwa 75). Subs (not used): Grimmer, Kashket, Charles, Mehmeti, Stockdale.

PNE: Ripley, Rafferty (Fisher 75), Storey, Hughes, Earl (Huntington 46), Ledson, Bayliss (Browne 46), Potts, Molumby (Maguire 75), Riis, Stockley. Subs (not used): Holland-Wilkinson, O'Reilly, Walker, Hudson.

Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire)

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