The Hatters lost their first match since lifting the Johnstone's Paint Trophy as Wycombe enhanced their chances of promotion with a 1-0 win victory at Kenilworth Road.

It was a match with very few clear-cut chances, especially during a flat first half AS both teams struggled to create any openings of note.

The visitors stepped up pressure after the interval as news filtered through that promotion rivals Brentford were losing at Brentford.

John Akinde netted the decisive goal for Wanderers 11 minutes into the second half poking the ball past Dean Brill from 12 yards.

Despite huffing and puffing the Town failed to find away through the Wycombe defence as the visitors closed out the match to earn three vital points while leaving the Town without a league victory in five outings.

Hatters Mick Harford made two changes to the side that drew 1-1 at Barnet on Saturday.

Captain Kevin Nicholls was red-carded at Underhill and with Ed Asafu-Adjaye also missing with sore ankle and knee it meant starts for Ian Henderson for leading goalscorer Chris Martin who returned from a two match suspension.

It was also a strong bench that including Ian Roper, Sam Parkin, Lewis Emanuel and Kevin Gallen and 17-year-old Jack Wood who had caught Harford's eye with his recent performances for the reserves, including two goals at Southend on Monday.

It was a balmy spring evening at Kenilworth Road with Wycombe Wanderers arriving in need of the three points as they looked to exit the division at the right end, sitting in third place in League 2 prior to kick-off.

Both sides were sporting black armbands in memory of Mike Keen who was a former Luton skipper and Wycombe manager.

With a healthy and noisy following of supporters making the journey from Buckinghamshire, it helped lift the atmosphere inside a sparsely populated Kenilworth Road.

With the changes Harford was forced into it meant Keith Keane dropped back to centre-half, David Livemore moved into central midfield and Martin was assisted by Henderson on the left-flank and Tom Craddock on the right-flank.

A lot rested on the importance of the Wanderers' result with a clutch of sides still within a chance of gaining an automatic promotion spot at their expense.

But inside the first 25 minutes both sides had failed to remotely test either goalkeeper.

Matt Phillips had Wycombe's only effort inside an incredibly low-key first quarter of the match when sending a right-footed shot high and wide of Dean Brill's goal on nine minutes.

If anything the only drama of the opening half-an-hour was Phillips' needless booking after five minutes when the winger drilled the ball into the Kenilworth Road end in frustration after being flagged offside.

The Hatters on the other hand only had a wayward effort from Henderson to show for on 20 minutes.

As the 35-minute mark passed, both sides had continued to surrender possession back and forth as they struggled to create a meaningful opening.

The Town thought they had a shout for a penalty on 37 minutes when Martin went down under a heavy aerial challenge from Chairboys right-back Lewis Hunt but referee Mick Russell waved away the appeals.

Moments later Martin then tried his luck from the left-hand edge of the penalty area, but, in keeping with the way the half was going, the shot landed up drifting well wide of Jamie Young's goal.

As half-time edged nearer both sides finally created a worthwhile chance each.

Firstly on 44 minutes the visitors' midfielder Lewwis Spence dragged a shot wide of Brill's right-hand post.

Then a minute later for the Hatters, Henderson sent a header goalwards from Rossi Jarvis's floated cross-field pass but his effort lacked power and Young was able to comfortably get down to his right.

HALF TIME: LUTON TOWN 0-0 WYCOMBE WANDERERS

As the Town kicked off the second half kicking towards the Kenilworth Road end, the only change at the break was Peter Taylor's introduction of striker Stuart Beavon for Phillips.

With Wanderers aware that leaders Brentford were losing 2-0 at Dagenham, three minutes into the second half they spurned a glorious chance to take the lead when on-loan striker John Akinde somehow placed his header over the crossbar from six yards from Gary Holt's cross.

Two minutes later substitute Beavon flashed a shot wide of Brill's right-hand post as the Chairboys started the second period with purpose.

However the Wanderers managed to take the lead on 56 minutes when Akinde made amends for his earlier miss by firing the ball past a wrong-footed Brill from 12 yards after the striker had initially bustled Sol Davis off the ball.

With Wycombe's tails up, Pittman showed his strength on the ball when running with the ball to fire a shot that Brill caught at the near post on 59 minutes after Holt had robbed Livermore of the ball on the halfway line.

On the hour Harford made a double change as he looked to freshen things up in attack introducing Emanuel and Gallen for Henderson and Jarvis.

Gallen found Martin on 63 minutes as the Hatters searched for an equaliser but the on-loan Canary could only find the upper reaches of the Kenilworth Road end with his right-foot shot.

The changes had woke the Town from their slumber and on 69 minutes Emanuel blasted a shot goalwards that was blocked following Livermore's corner and in the ensuing melee the Hatters substitute almost found George Pilkington but the ball didn't quite fall for the centre-half.

Emanuel then sent a cross-cum-shot narrowly over Young's goal with 11 minutes left as the Town went in search of the leveller.

With time running out, Chairboys' goalscorer Akinde was booked for a robust late challenge on Asa Hall on 82 minutes much to the annoyance of the home crowd.

Martin brought a save from Young with five minutes remaining after controlling a right-wing cross from Spillane and with a minute left the striker produced a turn and shot that the Wanderers goalkeeper was again equal to.

Three minutes into four minutes stoppage time Gallen saw his fiercely driven free-kick bravely charged down by visiting substitute Matt Bloomfield and that was the final action as the visitors held on to secure three valuable points.

FULL TIME: LUTON TOWN 0-1 WYCOMBE WANDERERS

Luton Town: Brill, Davis, Keane, Pilkington, Henderson (Emanuel 60), Livermore, Hall, Jarvis (Gallen 60), Martin, Spillane, Craddock.

Unused substitutes: Roper, Parkin, Wood.

Booked: Henderson (57)

Wycombe Wanderers: Young, Hunt, Woodman (Oliver 80), McCracken, Sinclair, Holt, Pittman (Bloomfield 88), Spence, Mousinho, Akinde, Phillips (Beavon 46).

Unused substitutes: Sawyer, Jones.

Booked: Phillips (5), Akinde (82)

Referee: M Russell

Attendance: 6,553 (including 1,116 from Wycombe)

Sponsors' man of the match - chosen by John Chatterley: Keith Keane