Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth has hinted he may go to the transfer market to ‘patch up the holes’ that are currently in his squad.

Wanderers defeated League Two Exeter City in their previous match in the League Cup first round following a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes, but it came at a cost, as the Chairboys ended the game with nine players due to injuries.

Captain Matt Bloomfield and Jason McCarthy were the two notable casualties who had to came off, whilst Jordan Obita, Joe Jacobson and Curtis Thompson also couldn’t continue at St James Park.

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And with Wycombe playing five away games in August, Ainsworth could be forced to try and get some new signings.

He said: “Worry overrides elation at the moment.

“My squad is a thin squad as it is and we need to make sure that we are fit enough, because a fit Wycombe Wanderers squad with this calibre can do things, but one or two injuries weakens us majorly.

“So we need to make sure that everyone recovers well and maybe go into the transfer market and almost patch up the holes that are here.

“It was a really, really tough night with injuries and I really didn’t need that at all.

“It’s a long journey down here, we have prepared the right way, so everything was good.

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“I rested five of the starting 11 (against Accrington Stanley) and the plan was to give Jordan Obita a half, Jason McCarthy a half, and juggle things.

“The league is our bread and butter as the league is where we want to be as we know we can achieve in the league.

“With the cup, are we going to win this? Who knows, but, the League Cup is always a hard one as it is the first Tuesday after the season starts and this was a real blood, guts, and thunder affair as they wanted to beat a higher league opposition.”

On to the match and the boss was ‘elated’ with his side’s performance, as they progressed to the second round for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign.

He continued: “I don’t know how we got through that.

"It was Andre Burley and Sullay Kaikai’s debut, Olly Pendlebury and Sam Vokes’ second game and we had Nick Freeman playing as a centre back for a bit, and it’s frightening to see what these boys will do for each other.

“They can achieve but we need to keep them fit and healthy.

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“It was brilliant to win, especially in front of the fans.

“It was a great win and we hope to recover quickly for Cheltenham.

“It’s a clean sheet and David Stockdale has been brilliant since he came into the team.

“He really has.

“He leads those boys and he’s a fantastic character to have in your dressing room.

“He’s had some tough times when he wasn’t playing and when he was at Birmingham, he has had to wait his turn, helped us get promoted as he was the main cheerleader to help us get into the Championship, and since he has come into the side, he has been fantastic.

“The night belongs to him."