NEW signing Jason Banton has had just 16 minutes of action this season – despite being the summer arrival that captured the imagination of fans most.

They knew what he could do after seeing him almost rescue his former club Plymouth in the first leg of last season’s play-off semi-final when the Devonians trailed 3-0 to Wanderers before it finished 3-2 after his introduction from the bench with Banton among the scorers.

And he whetted fans’ appetites further with an eye-catching display of pace and trickery when he came off the bench for Wycombe in a pre-season friendly at Wealdstone.

But despite all that, manager Gareth Ainsworth has been holding Banton back and says he needs to adapt to his new club.

Ainsworth said: “I’ve got to be fair to Jason and give him a chance to learn the way we do things before I put him in and then take him out for not doing the things I want. To play at Wycombe now, you have got to be part of this culture, you’ve got to have it in you, it’s not just football.

“He’s not been in an environment like this before culture-wise and work ethic-wise, he’s always been that maverick forward player but he’s learning fast and I love working with Jason. He’s learning the way we do things really fast and he’s got that bit of magic that can win a game. He’s a game winner but these players have to fit into the structure of what we do at Wycombe Wanderers as well. You can’t just stick someone in.

“Jason Banton wants to get in and get involved. He’s a fantastic talent. He’s had people telling him that he’s going to make it at big clubs and it just hasn’t quite worked for him.

“I want Wycombe to be a home for Jason. I want him to really enjoy it here, open up and when he’s settled I think he will be a fantastic player here and somebody who could play higher.