Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth believes his side’s route one approach played into the hands of Luton Town during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Adams Park.

With the Blues trailing to Cameron McGeehan’s first half volley, they threw players forward in search of a goal but could not find an elusive leveller.

The hit and hope approach did little to worry the Hatters and Ainsworth felt his players panicked as they attempted to salvage a point.

“I thought we panicked towards the end when you want to get the ball forward quickly. There are ways to do that though and I think getting wide would have been the way today,” said Ainsworth.

“We kept going down their throats and to be fair to Scott Cuthbert he had a good game today. I thought he had a shaky start but in the second half he did well.”

The late failure to create belied a strong start which saw Wycombe go close on a number of occasions.

Ainsworth mitigated the failure to build up a head of steam in the closing stages by pointing out that tired legs had stripped him of many of his key players.

He said: “It is difficult when you change your centre-forwards. I needed to change about five or six players today to get some fresh legs on.

“You make your changes, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Today it didn’t and that is the game.”

One of those changes involved taking Paul Hayes off and replacing him with midfielder Luke O’Nien with 11 minutes remaining.

It was a decision that jarred with the need to get a goal but Ainsworth was quick to point that he wanted to protect a player who has a poor injury record this season.

He said when asked if the substitution was a mistake: “No, not at all. Paul pulled his Achilles tendon against Crawley after playing 20 minutes and you protect your players and don’t risk them.”