WANDERERS failed to pick up valuable Christmas points when they suffered a Boxing Day knockout at struggling Cambridge.

A single Cambridge strike was enough to send Blues crashing to the canvas, but the scoreline could have been worse had it not been for a brilliant defensive display from Wycombe.

Keeper Martin Taylor and the Wanderers back four were under constant fire all afternoon but they managed to restrict Cambridge to just the one goal.

Keith Ryan, who earlier had almost netted an own goal, gave the hosts their 65th minute winner.

Instead of clearing the ball in his own penalty area he played it into the path of Tom Youngs who gleefully accepted the present to put the hosts ahead.

Earlier, the Blues could have snatched a totally undeserved lead with their one meaningful attack on 40 minutes.

Bored Cambridge keeper Lionel Perez came storming out to the edge of his area to try and claim a Dave Carroll cross but, under pressure from Andy Rammell, he dropped the ball into the path of Steve Brown. Brown should have scored, but he could not keep the bouncing ball down and volleyed over the open goal.