Wycombe Wanderers 1, Burton Albion 3.

DEPLETED Wanderers were beaten by Burton Albion as former Premier League star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink celebrated his first game in charge of the Brewers with a win.

Blues were only able to name three outfield substitutes after a string of injuries and suspensions left them down to the bare bones.

Absences were keenly felt in defence, as a back four shorn of Aaron Pierre was undone with ease on three occasions as Albion swept to victory in this top of the table clash.

Phil Edwards thumped home a first half header to give Hasselbaink something to smile about; his opposite number Gareth Ainsworth was rather less so after seeing the Burton defender get the better of two men.

Alex MacDonald extended the advantage before Paul Hayes’ penalty kept alive the belief Blues could come back and take something from the game.

But the hope died a death as substitute Jacob Blyth took advantage of more slack defending to kill the game off.

A win in front of the TV cameras would have put Wanderers back on top of the League Two table – instead they chose the worst time to put in their poorest display of a campaign that has promised much.

This result served as a timely reminder that Ainsworth is perhaps wise to play down the raised expectations caused by his side’s fine start, especially with low squad numbers likely to play a part.

Blues also had to play the closing stages a man light when a groggy Alfie Mawson had to come off with a possible concussion with all three substitutions made.

Injuries perhaps forced Ainsworth’s hand in his selection of a not-quite-yet match fit Hogan Ephraim, but the former QPR man showed an early glimpse of his ability as Blues started promisingly. A superb piece of trickery took Ephraim past his man and his cross was sent just wide of the post by Hayes’ knee.

Once more Ephraim’s tricky feet ensured he got the better of the visiting defence, but on this occasion keeper Jon McLaughlin was in the way with Hayes set to pounce.

With both sides indulging in head tennis competitions and struggling to get the ball down it was Ephraim who was a cut above anyone else on the park. His vision sent Matt Bloomfield away on the right, but Sam Wood mistimed his jump for the cross when a chance looked a certainty.

The recalled Mawson, back in the team after being ineligible for last week’s FA Cup tie, showed excellent poise for a centre half as he skilfully flicked the ball over the head of Darragh Lenihan. The finish failed to match the build up however, as Mawson then blazed way off target.

Burton then had their first half chances as MacDonald fired high and wide with a speculative effort from distance and Matty Palmer miscued straight at the watchful Matt Ingram as the Brewers struggled to make inroads.

Chances weren’t exactly flowing at the other end but when they did come Ephraim was generally at the thick of things. Again he worked himself into space in the middle and fed Bloomfield out wide before haring into the box and touching the cross into the path of Hayes, who jabbed it inches wide.

Albion came close to going in front as Lenihan’s towering header was deflected just wide for another corner. Wanderers didn’t learn their lesson from that previous poorly-defended set piece and Edwards punished them to the full, thumping home a header after being given too much room to put Burton in front.

Blues responded as Bloomfield’s low effort whistled wide after taking a nick off a defender, but were it not for Ingram bravely saving at the feet of former Wanderers favourite Stuart Beavon outside the sanctuary of his penalty area the hosts could have found themselves two down at the break.

Ainsworth reacted by bringing on two of his four available substitutes at the start of the second half as Stuart Lewis and Paris Cowan-Hall replaced Wood and Max Kretzschmar.

Within seconds Cowan-Hall had a sighter, bending the ball wide from the edge of the box after bursting through.

But it wasn’t long before Burton extended their lead as a wonderfully weighted pass from Palmer – who had supplied the corner that led to the opening goal – took out the entire Wanderers defence and picked out MacDonald. So well timed and placed was the ball that the midfielder's first touch saw his slot the ball through Ingram’s legs for his side's second.

Wanderers dragged themselves back into the game as Lewis made a typically determined run to bring the ball out of defence and fed Ephraim, who was brought down unceremoniously for a penalty that was despatched with typical aplomb by Hayes.

And a minute later Blues should have been level as Cowan-Hall motored away down the right and sent over a cross right to Ephraim’s feet, but he lifted his shot inches too high.

Instead the next goal went the way of the visitors as the game swung back in their favour following a flurry of goalmouth action. Damien McCrory was afforded acres of space down the left, and while his cross was sent over with pinpoint accuracy substitute Blyth had been gifted all the time he could ever have possibly wanted to steer home a header and restore Burton’s two goal lead.

Wanderers thought they were back in the game within minutes as the ball was scrappily bundled in by Hayes at a corner, but a linesman’s flag to Albion’s rescue.

Blyth almost had a second as the Blues defence was parted all too easily again by a Palmer pass; this time though a strong hand from Ingram pawed it to safety.

Despite the scoreline Wanderers still showed a willingness to get back into the game and Sido Jombati was agonisingly close to netted his first Blues goal as a header from Joe Jacobson’s free kick was flicked just over.

But the injury to Mawson seemed to sap any remaining belief and a third defeat of the season was a formality after that.

Wanderers: Ingram, Jombati, Mawson, Rowe, Jacobson, Kretzschmar (sub Lewis), Murphy, Bloomfield (sub Craig), Wood (sub Cowan-Hall), Ephraim, Hayes. Substitute not used: Richardson.

Attendance: 3,981 (87 from Burton)