Gareth Ainsworth says his Wycombe Wanderers side must arrest their current form as quickly as possible to ensure a high League Two finish this season.

A 4-1 trouncing at the hands of Luton Town saw them slump to 22nd in the table, just a point above the relegation zone.

While he acknowledges the season is still in its infancy, Ainsworth believes his side must prioritise avoiding getting involved in a relegation dogfight.

“I have told the lads now, forget going anywhere up the league we have to sort ourselves out down the wrong end of the table,” he said.

“We don’t want a relegation battle again and need to start getting points on the board to get ourselves above water, so when the big players do come back we have a strong squad.

“There are 40 games to go, so it is not like there are two games to go where we have been before, but we need to make sure we get things right starting at Portsmouth.”

The match itself saw the Hatters dominate at Kenilworth Road as Danny Hylton bagged a hat-trick and Jordan Cook added a fourth late on.

The scoreline by no means flattered Town, despite Matt Bloomfield giving Wanderers brief hope as he made it 2-1 in the 64th minute.

Ainsworth was full of praise for Nathan Jones’ side, but also felt Wycombe made it too easy for Luton in front of goal.

He also questioned the award of a penalty which gave Hylton the opportunity to complete his hat-trick with the scores at 2-1.

“It is one of the biggest gulfs [in class] I have seen in League Two, they are an awesome side. They have backed Nathan [Jones Luton manager] with their finances and have some great players,” he said.

“The third goal was and absolute sucker punch for me. Whether it is or isn’t [a penalty] Danny Hylton has turned us too easily.

“You can’t allow that and a couple of goals today were too easy for people to turn when they have been stood up.

“We need to keep doing the right things and doing the things that have got us success for the last two season.

“We have just gone away from that today at the end [of the game]. 4-1, they deserve that and you are probably looking at the League champions today.”