Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth is hoping the injury Nathan Tyson sustained at Cambridge on Saturday isn’t as bad as first feared.

Tyson was stretchered off with a serious looking injury to his left knee after going down in innocuous circumstances. With ligament damage being diagnosed, Ainsworth is hoping that the fleet-footed winger won’t be out for as long as initially thought.

Tyson joins Michael Harriman in facing a spell on the sidelines and Ainsworth gave an update on how both are doing.

He said: “Nathan and Michael Harriman are going to be out for quite sometime.

“We haven’t got a specific time frame on Nathan yet. He has had a scan and we know it is a ligament issue. However, we do know the major ligaments are clear which is good news.

“There is no time limit on a ligament injury in a knee but it isn’t a cruciate injury which is good. He has had a couple of injuries on that knee before and it is about looking after him and when he comes back he is as strong as he was.

“Nathan has proved time and time again that he keeps his pace and fitness and this looked a nasty one but I am hoping it isn’t as bad as we first thought.

“Tys has been in fantastic form. The way he stretches defences is special. The positive is we are going to be getting some good players back in the middle of the season such as Scott Kashket, Harriman and Tyson, which will be a big bonus for us.

“If we can keep this form going until then that would be fantastic.”
With time to dwell on the Cambridge result at the weekend, Ainsworth said that confidence is oozing through the camp and the squad are riding high.

He added: “The morale is awesome. We are working really hard on the development of the boys off the field too and I try and get them prepared mentally as much as possible.

“We have a mentally strong bunch and that Cambridge win was probably the pick of this mini-winning run we are currently in.

“However, it can soon come off the rails and that is when the resilience comes in and how we bounce back from things is just as important as when we are doing well and we have some tough games coming up and I am really looking forward to seeing how the boys do on Saturday.”

The Luton loss is seen as a bit of a turning point by Ainsworth and the squad who felt they had been dealt a cruel late blow in that match.

The response has been immaculate thus far and Ainsworth is hoping that words said after that match continue to be adhered to.

“I said immediately after the game we didn’t deserve to lose that match,” added the 44-year-old.

“I told them to remember the feeling of being robbed in that game just before we played Colchester.

“For me, that Luton game served as a timely kick up the backside to keep working hard. 

“Lets stay consistent with the performances and hopefully we can then find ourselves at the right end of the table thanks to those good displays.”