25-05-2025
Man, 23 and boy, 17 charged after Wycombe's play-off loss against Charlton
Two people have been charged following a disturbance in Wycombe Wanderers' play-off semi-final defeat against Charlton Athletic.
After the first leg at Adams Park on May 11 finished 0-0, Matty Godden's 81st minute goal in the second match four days later secured the Addicks' place in the final, where they will take on Leyton Orient this Sunday [May 25].
However, amongst the jubilant scenes at full-time, which saw many Charlton fans storm the Valley pitch, a small group of supporters made their way over to the Jimmy Seed Stand, where 1,600 Wanderers fans were based.
Angry gestures were exchanged before a flare was thrown into the Wycombe fans.
It has been confirmed by the Metropolitan Police that two people, a 23-year-old man and a 17-year-old, have been charged.
They told the Free Press: 'A man and a 17-year-old boy have been charged following an incident at Valley Stadium on Thursday, 15 May.
'A 17-year-old boy was charged with pitch incursion and possession of a flare. He is due to appear at Bromley Magistrates' Youth Court on Friday, June 27.
'He has been bailed on the condition not to attend a regulated football match and not to go within half a mile of Wembley on match days.
'Luke Slipper, 23 (15.11.2001) of Well Hall Road, Greenwich was charged with pitch incursion, possession of a flare and for throwing a missile.
'He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, June 6.
'He has been bailed on the condition not to attend a regulated football match and not to go within a mile of Wembley on match days.'
The incident caused numerous Wycombe fans to question the level of security that was deployed at the Valley on May 15, with one Wanderers supporter saying he was 'frustrated and annoyed' at the lack of protection the away following received.
Neville White, who attended the match with his son, admitted he 'just needed to get out' of the former Premier League stadium when things started to intensify at the full-time whilste.
He said: 'They scored the goal, they won, and they came onto the pitch.
'That's fine, I get that because we [Wycombe] have been there and have done it.
'But from my perspective, some decided to come down to our end to try and start an altercation with us.
'The problem was that there weren't enough stewards to protect the Wycombe fans from what was going on, and the ones that were there didn't do anything.
'You had these fans doing the bravado, putting their fingers up and you get that wherever you go.
"But getting pelted with flares…that's when it was getting nasty. Thankfully, my son and I weren't hit, but people around us were.
'I said to my son that we need to get out of here because if one hits you in the face, it could blind you.
'We got out, but we were annoyed and frustrated."
An official complaint by Mr White was issued to Charlton Athletic, who responded with the following.
They said: 'Firstly, please accept our apologies for your unpleasant evening at The Valley, which resulted in quite a few issues during our post-match deployment.
'We, as a match day safety team, will carry out a full internal investigation, view CCTV, gather evidence, inform the Police, and ensure football banning orders are in place for all culprits.
'The behaviour witnessed is not acceptable anywhere in any sport.'
