Gareth Ainsworth believes Wycombe Wanderers did all they could to keep Josh Scowen at the club after the midfielder decided to join Barnsley.

Scowen snubbed the offer a new three-year deal at Adams Park in order to link-up with Danny Wilson at Oakwell.

The 21-year-old put pen-to-paper on a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Reds for an undisclosed fee, and Ainsworth says the Blues tried their upmost to keep him with the League Two leaders.

He said: “Nobody wanted to keep Josh at Wycombe more than I did, and we did everything we could to persuade him to stay, but it's difficult for us to compete with bigger clubs in higher divisions.

"It's been a pleasure to work with Josh and I'm proud of the giant steps he's taken in terms of his development from being a fringe player before my time here, to one of the division's top players. We wish him every success with his new club."

Scowen came through the ranks at Wanderers before going onto make a century of appearances after making his debut in 2011.

The popular midfielder follows Paris Cowan-Hall, Gary Doherty, Anthony Stewart and Stuart Lewis out of the Adams Park exit door this month.