Wycombe Wanderers chairman Trevor Stroud admitted things will be tough for the Chairboys over the next few months but backed Gareth Ainsworth and his squad to defy the odds again in League One.

With the news this week that six key players will be released by the club this summer and with budgets being cut across the club, the outlook looks even trickier for the Blues next season.

However, Stroud, speaking exclusively to the Bucks Free Press, is convinced that the playing and management staff can pull together again despite an even lower budget for next season.

He said: "It looks like we will have comfortably the lowest budget in League One and some League Two and National League sides will have a higher budget than us.

"Once again, we will look to defy the odds as we have done for a number of years now and I back Gareth and the squad to do the job once again.

"It is never nice releasing six players. I have two hats on in this job. One is my fan hat and the other is the commercial side but we have made the tough decision and I wish the players all the best and thank them for their hard work."

Three players, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Scott Kashket and Dominic Gape have all been offered new deals.

Gape, in particular, has had a fine season and will no doubt attract interest but Stroud is hopeful that the trio will extend their careers at Adams Park.

He added: "Dom is a great player. He is settled in the area and I am optimistic all three of them will sign new deals but we have to wait and see."

Stroud also gave an update in terms of investment for the club following the collapse of the deal involving Bill Luby and Jim Collis recently.

The Wycombe chairman was upbeat that a deal could be struck, with one party in particular of interest and admitted the Trust learnt that lessons with the amount of time the process took with Luby and Collis.

Stroud added: "There is a party who continued to alert me of their interest when Bill and Jim's proposal was on the table.

"You always learn lessons and we hope to move things along more quickly. Once there is an update, I will alert the Trust and we can put the right process in place."

Stroud also looked back on last season with pride at the way Ainsworth and his squad secured survival.

He said: "I said at the start of the season that I would have taken 20th place and staying up on goal difference.

"The work that Gareth and Dobbo and the players have done was fantastic and to achieve that five-year plan was superb and I can't pay tribute enough."