WANDERERS crashed to a crushing and controversial defeat in farcical conditions at Edgeley Park.
Two goals in four first half minutes and an avalanche in the second half sealed their fate -but it was arguable whether the match should have even gone ahead on a dangerously waterlogged pitch.
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The conditions made for bucket-loads of entertainment but at times it was more like watching the circus come to town as the ball got stuck in the puddles and the players slipped and slid about in the mud.
Both sides, particularly Stockport, deserved huge credit for the football they did manage to produce on a surface that resembled a paddy field more than a football pitch.
It was evident from the moment that Matt Bloomfield could not get the ball out of a puddle to feed the unmarked Scott McGliesh that this was always going to be a lottery - and County won because they had the luck going with them on the day and bought more tickets, committing men forward.
They were lucky to start with when keeper Conrad Logan clearly picked up a backpass inside his own six yard box because he didn't fancy hacking it out of the mud. But the referee either didn't see it or took sympathy on him because of the conditions.
And they were lucky again when Gareth Owen's back pass got stuck 20 yards short of its intended target but Logan came charging outside of his box to win the sliding tackle with John Sutton.
County did play some terrific stuff though and after Frank Fielding produced a stunning one handed save to deny Adam Proudlock, the hosts took the lead on 31 minutes with a goal to savour.
Michael Rose bent a delicious ball around the back of the Blues defence and Proudlock met it on the volley slamming the ball past Fielding.
Worse was to follow for Blues fans just four minutes later as Liam Dickinson turned on the edge of the box to blast in a shot which hit one post before skidding along the line and going in.
With County 2-0 up it made it harder for the referee to abandon the game and at half time Wanderers brought Martin Bullock on for Stefan Oakes in a bid to get some joy down the less muddy right flank.
Bloomfield and Sutton both had efforts saved as Blues began brightly before Adam Proudlock's second of the game, on the hour mark, effectively ended their hopes as Wycombe fell apart in spectacular style.
Proudlock made light of the conditions to run onto Dickinson's headed flick on and emphatically despatch the ball in the back of Fielding's net.
Worse was to follow four minutes later when Dickinson's cross from the right hit defender Lewis Christon on the line and went in for an own goal.
And it could have been five when Dickinson again crossed from the right with Proudlock spinning on his cross before arrowing a shot just wide.
But the fifth did come with a brilliant piece of opportunitism from Proudlock.
Some 35 yards out he spotted Fielding off his line and without taking a touch to control the ball he delivered it low into the back of the Wycombe net to complete his first hat-trick for County.
Goal number six followed on 78 minutes with another own goal with Russell Martin this time diverting David Poole's cross into his own net.
Substitute Anthony Elding wasn't far away from a seventh with a header as Wycombe couldn't wait to get off the field after a spanking they won't forget.
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