Brandon Hanlan’s goal five minutes before half-time has given Wycombe Wanderers a 1-0 half-time lead over the Blues at Adams Park.
Town boss Kieran McKenna made three changes from the team which beat Peterborough 2-1 at Portman Road a week ago, two of them enforced, with defenders Janoi Donacien, who rolled his ankle in last week’s 2-1 home victory over Peterborough, and Luke Woolfenden both absent.
Woolfenden, who missed out on a league start for only the third time since McKenna took charge a year and a day ago, picked up a minor knock last week but is expected to be back on Boxing Day. Kane Vincent-Young and Richard Keogh came into the XI.
Sone Aluko dropped to the bench having made his return from injury last week, with Freddie Ladapo coming into the side and Kayden Jackson moving to the left of a three behind the former Rotherham man with Conor Chaplin in the middle and Wes Burns on the right.
On the bench, midfielder Lee Evans was back having been out of action with a knee injury since the Derby County match towards the end of October.
Forward Marcus Harness also warmed up with the squad before the game having recently undergone a minor knee operation and having returned to training this week.
For Wycombe, Jason McCarthy came into the starting XI on the right of the defence as captain with Ryan Tafazolli absent due to illness.
Town, wearing their red and black away kit and with more than 2,800 travelling supporters behind the goal and in an additional section on one side, struck the game’s first effort in the fourth minute.
Leif Davis crossed from the left and Chaplin turned a shot towards goal, which deflected behind off a defender and the Chairboys dealt with the set piece.
In the 10th minute, a Garath McCleary cross from the left was played behind everyone in the box and reached McCarthy breaking forward on the right but the Wycombe skipper’s shot was blocked by Cameron Burgess and a follow-up header looped into Christian Walton’s arms.
Wycombe were beginning to get on top, however, with the Blues struggling to pass their way out of their half with the ball lost cheaply on more than one occasion.
On 17, Jordan Obita’s low cross was stabbed goalwards by Hanlan at the near post but straight at Walton.
A minute later, Chaplin’s cutback was diverted behind and from the corner Burgess rose highest but his header looped well wide.
But the Blues were starting to get on top and in the 21st minute Vincent-Young made a pacy run forward on the right beating two players before playing inside to Ladapo on the edge of the box from where the striker shot just over the bar.
Town had got themselves on top and in the 26th minute Burns was played in on the right in an onside position but his cross was turned behind. Following the corner, a Sam Morsy shot from the edge of the box was blocked.
Two minutes later, Lewis Wing was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Ladapo in the centre circle.
In the 34th minute, following a stoppage for an injury to Wycombe’s Josh Scowen, the Blues conjured the best chance of the match on the left, skipper Morsy teeing-up Chaplin on the edge of the area in space but the forward’s shot failed to trouble home keeper Max Stryjek.
Three minutes later, Davis sent Jackson away on the left and the striker burst away and reached the ball but sent it the wrong side of the post as Stryjek quickly advanced off his line.
Town had looked the most likely scorers for most of the half but in the 40th minute, the Chairboys took the lead.
Hanlan held off Cameron Humphreys as he brought the ball from just outside the area to the right into the box, feinted past Burgess and then slipped the ball beyond Walton as Keogh slid in. It was a poor goal to concede from a Town perspective.
The Blues went about looking to get back on terms and on 40 Chaplin saw first a cross and then a shot blocked from the right of the area.
In the final scheduled minute of the half, Humphreys sent Burns away down the middle as the Blues counter-attacked but Obita came across to dispossess the Welshman.
Moments later, Davis recovered an overhit cross from the right and sent the ball back in to the near post where Jackson headed to Stryjek under pressure from a defender.
That was the final chance of a first half in which the Blues had been on top for the most part and had had opportunities, however, without taking them.
Hanlan’s goal was the home side’s first chance since the early stages and will give the Chairboys something to hang onto in the second half.
Wycombe: Stryjek, Grimmer, Wheeler, Wing, Mehmeti, McCleary, Hanlan, Mawson, Obita, McCarthy (c), Scowen. Subs: Dickinson, Gape, Vokes, Horgan, Wakely, Freeman, Al-Hamadi.
Town: Walton, Vincent-Young, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Morsy (c), Humphreys, Davis, Chaplin, Jackson, Ladapo. Subs: Hladky, Edmundson, Leigh, Evans, Edwards, Aluko, Ahadme. Referee: Ben Toner (Lancashire).