Wycombe Wanderers' promotion push may draw West Ham interest if Mike Dodds makes reactionary call | OneFootball

Gideon Kodua's 20-minute cameo on Tuesday night helped Wycombe Wanderers beat Rotherham United.

Mike Dodds secured his first away win as head coach of Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday evening, after a frantic final half hour saw the Chairboys beat Rotherham United 3-2.

After what was a dull opening hour of the match, the final 30 minutes certainly made up for that. Louie Sibley gave the Millers the lead after a howler from Will Norris before Richard Kone levelled the game just three minutes later with a towering header.

Sonny Bradley and Gideon Kodua would score late on to wrap up the points for Wycombe, deeming Jonson Clarke-Harris’ penalty at the death a mere consolation goal. This was Rotherham’s first home defeat on a Tuesday evening since 2007, which saw their opponents lift themselves back into the automatic promotion places.

One key takeaway from the match was the excellent performance of Kodua when he was introduced from the bench. Over the last month, Wycombe have struggled to create anything in wide areas, which has been a huge frustration for supporters, as it was one of the strengths of the side at the start of the campaign.

Not only could the youngster help his side on the pitch, but he could perk the interest of supporters of his parent club, West Ham United, should he feature more consistently after sending a statement to Dodds on Tuesday evening,

Kodua could be the answer to Wycombe’s winger woes

Despite the excellent league position with nine games remaining, it’s certainly not going to be an easy ride to promotion for the Chairboys. With fixtures against promotion rivals Charlton Athletic, Stockport County, and Bolton Wanderers still to come, the run-in will be a real test of Wycombe’s mettle.

The pressure at the top of the table is brewing, and a home defeat to Wrexham on Saturday with a pretty flat performance left Wycombe wondering if their dreams of automatic promotion were fading. Thankfully, the Blues bounced back from the disappointment at the weekend to secure three points in Yorkshire on Tuesday, regaining their automatic promotion spot.

Dodds opted for a change of shape from the off at the New York Stadium to go toe-to-toe with Steve Evans’ side. Instead of wingers, the 38-year-old opted to have two wide attacking midfielders, before changing later in the game when his side were in the ascendancy, introducing Kodua and Garath McCleary.

The former made a real impression on the game, always looking to be creative and take on the Rotherham defence. The young Hammers prodigy was rewarded for his industrious performance by finishing off a lovely move with a low strike past Dillon Phillips. This was a massive boost for Wycombe, as Kodua’s performance was something the Blues had been screaming out for over the last month.

Possible Kodua involvement will perk West Ham interest in Wycombe’s promotion push

The wide-man is highly rated at the East London outfit. He signed a new contract in the summer before returning to Adams Park on a season-long loan deal. Sadly, injuries have limited his minutes, but Kodua is back fit and looking sharp at the perfect time of the season.

After impressing on Tuesday evening, Dodds will surely be thinking about giving the West Ham loanee more minutes in the final nine games of the season. If so, this could see an interest perk from Hammers supporters in Wycombe’s push for promotion.

There is already a great bond between the two clubs, as Freddie Potts played a key role in Matt Bloomfield’s side last season on loan from the Hammers, and pushed himself further down his development path. West Ham have seen first-hand that Wycombe are excellent at nurturing young players, hence Kodua’s return to HP12 for a second spell.

With nine games to go, Wycombe and Wrexham are separated just by goal difference. Dodds has a huge squad to work with, which has proven to be a difficult task to manage for the ex-Sunderland interim boss, and Kodua’s performance on Tuesday has added to that selection headache. However, if Dodds gives the 20-year-old more minutes, this may draw the interest of West Ham supporters towards Wycombe’s promotion challenge.