GARETH Ainsworth said being Wycombe Wanderers manager has changed him as a person, as he marked two years in charge of the club this week.

Ainsworth took the reins in the wake of Gary Waddock's sacking two years ago, initially on a caretaker basis before being handed the role permanently six weeks later.

In his early days as a manager he retained his personality as a player - a happy-go-lucky character who was happy for his former team mates to refer to him by his nickname Gaz.

But he's evolved into a more serious man who's instilling a greater amount of discipline into his side.

The 41-year-old said: "I've had to have matured and had to distance myself from things.

"There's a big difference between me this year and last year and the people around me have changed. I've grown as a manager and I've matured as a person.

"Footballers don't realise until you end your career how much more there is to this game on the other side. Gone is the player/manager who's everyone's friend in the dressing room. It's time to become a serious man and a serious disciplinarian and make things tick for Wycombe Wanderers.

"There's a long way to go. By no means am I a good manager yet. There's still a lot of learning - as Alex Ferguson said, you can never stop learning.

"The game's changing so quickly you've got to change with it all the time."

This season the new-look Ainsworth has led Wanderers into the top three of the League Two table, picking up points against some of the sides fancied for promotion in the process.

Tomorrow they host a newly-promoted Cambridge United side looking to continue their fine form - but Ainsworth said it's not a game they can necessarily expect to win.

He said: "League Two is so open, anyone can beat anyone - you can see that from Accrington going and scoring five at Northampton last week.

"We've got to respect every team. I don't think, 'We should be beating these' - I just think we should be getting as many points on the board as soon as we can, no matter who it's off.

"They've signed some good players - they took a lad from Portsmouth, Ryan Bird, last week - so they're still looking out there to strengthen their squad. We'll have to be at our usual standards to get anything from this game."

A fresh-faced Ainsworth played for Cambridge at the start of his career under the stewardship of John Beck - the man he attributes as moulding him into the player who went on to play in the Premier League.

He said: "If there's anything I remember it's my first league goal, scoring against Bristol City in what would now be the Championship. Andy Cole scored for Bristol City, that's how long ago that is. Chris Kamara was playing as well.

"I was in digs with a family from Cambridge at the time. I remember coming home and celebrating in the digs."